An electrical engineer contracted with the Department of Defense has been charged with attempting to transport top secret documents out of the U.S., according to court records. Gokhan Gun, a 50-year-old from Falls Church with dual citizenship in the U.S. and Turkey, was apprehended by FBI agents last Friday as he was preparing to depart on a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as reported by FOX 5 DC.
Agents executing a search warrant discovered documents labeled "TOP SECRET" within a backpack at Gun's residence, along with stacks of papers bearing visible classification markings, including Top Secret and SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information), as detailed by the prosecution. Despite Gun's claims of embarking on a "fishing trip," investigators described his explanation as "nonsensical," wondering how classified information would aid such an endeavor. Documents unearthed by investigators indicate that Gun began printing out sensitive documents as early as May 2024, without any apparent authorization, FOX News reported.
Gun, detained outside his home, contested that he did not transport classified materials, and suggested that any such documents in his possession must have had their classifications "expired," an assertion the FBI has openly refuted. Prosecutors, concerned about the possibility of espionage, have not ruled out the potential of additional charges, noting that Gun's actions could earn him maximum penalties under the law, including charges under the Espionage Act if further investigation corroborates intentions to distribute the classified materials to a foreign power, as outlined by U.S. News.
During a detention hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Rodregous emphasized the suspicious circumstances of Gun's arrest, carrying classified documents and his intelligence-community credentials en route to an alleged vacation. "You don't need your intelligence-community credentials to go fishing," Rodregous pointed out, as per the U.S. News. Despite this, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis deemed the connection between the documents and Gun's trip to be speculative, ruling that Gun could be placed under home detention pending trial. However, an appeal from prosecutors could delay this decision, adding layers to the continuing narrative of a case poised at the intersection of national security and personal liberties.
