Defense contractor accused of printing top secret documents, trying to smuggle them to Mexico

Prosecutors say an electrical engineer working for the Air Force is accused of printing more than 150 pages of “top secret” government documents before trying to flee the country to Mexico.

Gokhan Gun, 50, was arrested Friday as he was boarding a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Gun, a northern Virginia resident who was born in Turkey and has dual citizenship, has been charged with unauthorized taking and retention of classified materials, according to Fox 5 DC.

Gun was flying to the airport Friday morning when FBI agents executed search warrants on him and two homes. Agents discovered documents marked “TOP SECRET” in a backpack outside his home. They also found stacks of documents in the dining room of his home with visible security markings, including some marked Top Secret and SCI, or Confidential Information.

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Gokhan Gun, 50, was charged with unauthorized taking and retention of classified materials. (Alexandria Sheriff’s Office)

It is unclear what the content of the documents was.

Gun told agents he was going to Mexico on what he later claimed was a “fishing expedition,” a story investigators called “nonsense” in court documents. Investigators said it was “unclear how highly classified U.S. government information would help him in this endeavor.”

According to investigators, Gun had printed documents several times in May and taken them home without permission.

In August, investigators observed Gun leaving his workplace with a bag full of paperwork and then entering two different homes he owned in Fairfax and Falls Church, Virginia.

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FBI agent seen in photo wearing FBI jacket

According to court documents, Gun provided the FBI with “patently false information,” including claiming that he never took any classified documents home and that if he did, their classification had “expired.” (iStock)

Investigators then obtained search warrants for Gun.

Since joining the Air Force in 2020, Gun has printed about 3,400 pages of classified and unclassified materials, according to a report in The New York Times . He transported the documents from his office in rolled-up plastic shopping bags.

Last week, Gun printed 406 pages, including 82 marked top secret, court documents show.

According to court documents, Gun provided “patently false information” in his FBI interview, including claiming that he never took any classified documents home and that if they were in his home, their classification had “expired.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents walking through the crime scene

Prosecutors say Gun began printing documents in May and taking them home without permission. (Getty Images)

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Prosecutors had asked that Gun remain in U.S. custody because he is at risk of fleeing, citing his numerous travels over the years and the fact that his parents still live in Turkey.

If convicted of unauthorized taking and retention of classified materials, Gun faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Government officials plan to pursue additional criminal charges.

The contractor’s public defender reiterated in court Friday that the contractor was going on a fishing trip to Mexico, arguing there was no risk of flight.