What Was the Engineer Hiding in 3,400 Pages of Secret Documents?
An electrical engineer from the U.S. Department of Defense has become the subject of a criminal case after taking home dozens of pages of top-secret information. The employee printed and removed 155 pages from a secure office, which belonged to 20 different documents, all classified as "Top Secret." The engineer was planning to fly to Mexico for vacation, but FBI agents intercepted him before he could leave.Gokhan Gun, 51, has pleaded guilty to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials. He now faces up to five years in prison, with sentencing set for June 17. Gun was a full-time Department of Defense employee with clearance to access classified information and systems containing Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
According to investigators, Gun had undergone multiple briefings on handling classified materials and was aware that such information must be stored exclusively in approved safes or specially designated rooms. Nevertheless, since May 2024, Gun had been systematically printing documents from a secure network at his workplace and removing them from the facility.
The engineer carried the documents in semi-transparent plastic bags, which included intelligence briefings and other sensitive materials. Between May 10 and August 7, Gun printed a total of 256 documents, amounting to more than 3,400 pages. FBI investigators confirmed that at least 155 of these pages matched 20 specific documents from the classified network, containing highly restricted information.
Security officials were particularly alarmed by the fact that most of these documents were printed after 4:00 PM—outside of regular working hours. This raised suspicions that Gun’s actions were intentional rather than accidental.
On August 8, a court issued search warrants for Gun’s two homes, his car, and all of his data storage devices. The very next morning, FBI agents arrived at his residence—just before the engineer’s scheduled departure to Mexico. Gun claimed he was planning a fishing trip with friends, though he had previously told his employer he was traveling alone.
During the search, agents found a file in his backpack labeled "Top Secret," which he apparently intended to take on his trip. Furthermore, during questioning, Gun denied taking classified documents, suggesting that if any papers he had were marked as classified, they might have already been declassified.
So far, no charges of espionage have been filed. Investigators do not rule out that Gun’s actions may have stemmed from negligence or a complete lack of understanding of the consequences. However, as highlighted in the case materials, having clearance to access classified information requires strict adherence to security protocols, and even storing such documents at home constitutes a serious violation.