DoD Worker Charged for Trying to Leave US with Secret Documents
- A DoD worker is charged for attempting to leave the US with top secret documents.
- The worker printed over 150 pages of classified documents before trying to flee to Mexico.
- The incident raises concerns about security breaches within the Defense Department.
Gokhan Gun, a 50-year-old electrical engineer employed by the Air Force, was arrested on August 9 while attempting to board a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Prosecutors allege that Gun printed over 150 pages of classified government documents, including 82 marked as "TOP SECRET," before trying to flee the country. He has been charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, raising serious national security concerns. FBI agents executed a search warrant at Gun's residence and two other properties, discovering classified documents in a backpack outside his home. Investigators noted that Gun had been observed leaving his workplace with bags full of hard copy documents on multiple occasions. Court documents indicate that Gun provided misleading information during his FBI interview, claiming he had not taken any classified materials home and suggesting that any documents present had "expired" classifications. Prosecutors are concerned about Gun's potential flight risk, citing his dual citizenship and family ties in Turkey. They have requested that he remain in custody while additional felony charges are anticipated. If convicted, Gun faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his current charge. His public defender argued for his release, reiterating Gun's claim that he was merely going on a fishing trip, a narrative investigators have dismissed as implausible.