An electrical engineer working in the Air Force is accused of printing out more than 150 pages of “top secret” government documents before attempting to flee to Mexico, prosecutors said.
Gokhan Gan, 50, was arrested Friday as he was preparing to board a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Gan, a dual citizen of Northern Virginia born in Turkey, was charged with unauthorized removal and storage of classified materials, the agency said. Fox 5DC.
On Friday morning, as Gunn was on his way to the airport, FBI agents executed search warrants on him and his two homes. Agents found documents marked “Top Secret” in a backpack outside his home, and a stack of documents with visible classification markings, some of which were marked Top Secret and SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information), in his dining room.
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Gokhan Gun, 50, was charged with unauthorized removal and storage of classified materials. (Alexandria Sheriff’s Office)
It is unclear what the contents of the document were.
Gunn told investigators he was traveling to Mexico for a “fishing trip,” but in court documents, agents called that “non-meant.” “It is unclear to what extent classified U.S. government information would be useful in this endeavor,” they said.
Investigators said Gunn had printed the documents multiple times since early May and taken them to his home without authorization.
In August, agents observed Gunn leaving his workplace carrying a bag full of documents and entering two homes he owns in Fairfax and Falls Church, Virginia.
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According to court documents, Gunn provided “patently false information” to the FBI, including claims that he never brought any classified documents home and that any documents he had at home had “expired” their classification. (iStock)
Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Gunn.
Gunn has printed about 3,400 pages of classified and unclassified documents since joining the Air Force in 2020. He reportedly rolled up the documents, placed them in plastic bags and took them home from his office. The New York Times.
According to court documents, Gunn printed 406 pages last week, including 82 pages that were marked as confidential.
According to court documents, Gunn provided “patently false information” during his interview with the FBI, including claiming he never brought classified documents home and that if any were there, the classification had “expired.”
Prosecutors said Gunn printed out the documents as early as May and took them home without authorization. (Getty Images)
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Prosecutors had requested that Gan be detained in the United States, citing his risk of flight due to his multiple travels over the years and the fact that his parents still live in Turkey.
Gunn faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of unauthorized removal and storage of classified materials, and authorities plan to file additional felony charges.
The contractor’s public defender argued Friday that there was no flight risk and repeated the argument in court that the contractor was headed to Mexico on a fishing trip.
