Gokhan Gun, Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material, Virginia 2024

Alexandria, VA – Gokhan Gun, 51, a civilian electrical engineer for the Department of Defense, has pleaded guilty to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, a federal crime.

According to court documents, Gun, a dual citizen of Turkey and the United States, possessed a Top Secret security clearance and had access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). He received training on the proper handling and storage of classified information.

Between May 2024 and August 2024, Gun removed at least five classified documents from his Department of Defense workspace without permission and intended to retain them at his primary residence, which was not an approved facility for the storage of classified information.

On August 9, 2024, FBI agents observed a ride-share service arrive at Gun’s residence and approached him. Inside his residence, agents located a backpack containing a Top Secret document and a notebook with handwritten notes that mirrored a Top Secret report. In the dining room, agents found additional classified documents, one of which Gun printed on August 7, 2024.

Gun is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2024, and faces up to five years in prison. The actual sentence for federal crimes is typically less than the maximum penalty.

The FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) Office of Special Projects are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Gibbs for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Chantelle Dial for NSD’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

Gun’s plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

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