Defense Contractor Arrested for Printing 150 Pages of ‘Top Secret’ Documents

A contractor for the Defense Department has been accused of printing over 150 pages of classified documents marked “top secret” and attempting to flee to Mexico, according to a recently unsealed federal court case in Virginia.

Gokhan Gun, an electrical engineer employed by the Air Force, was arrested on Friday morning just as he was about to take a ride-hailing service to the airport for a flight to Puerto Vallarta, as reported by The Washington Post.

During the court proceedings on Friday, Gun appeared bewildered and stated to the judge, “This is a surprise, sir, for me.” His public defender argued that he was not a flight risk and was simply traveling to Mexico for a fishing trip.

A search conducted at Gun’s residence unveiled 155 pages of top secret documents, which included some of the country’s most sensitive information. These documents were reportedly found piled in his dining room and kept inside a backpack, as indicated by court records.

Details regarding the specific content of the documents have not been disclosed.

Gun faces charges for the unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of up to five years and a monetary penalty that could reach $250,000.

The Independent has reached out to Gun’s public defender for additional information.

Since joining the Air Force in 2020, Gun has printed approximately 3,400 pages of documents, which consisted of both classified and unclassified materials, according to information from The New York Times.

Law enforcement sources indicated that he had been transporting these documents out of his office in rolled-up stacks within plastic shopping bags.

In a voluntary interview with FBI agents, Gun denied taking any classified documents back to his home. He suggested that the materials found could be expired, although law enforcement disagrees.

Notably, just earlier this week, Gun printed 406 pages, which included 82 pages marked as top secret, according to the allegations cited in the complaint.

This incident follows a recent case in March, where Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, pleaded guilty in federal court for leaking highly classified military documents on the social media platform Discord. Those documents included assessments related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.