Civilian in Defense Department to stay in custody pending trial for mishandling classified documents

A federal judge has ruled that Gokhan Gun, a Defense Department civilian and U.S.-Turkish dual citizen, will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges of mishandling classified documents. Gun, 50, was arrested outside his home in Falls Church on Aug. 9 while purportedly on his way to the airport for a trip to Mexico, carrying documents, including one marked as Top Secret. Additional classified documents were discovered during a search of his residence.
Despite Gun claiming he was going on a fishing trip, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis initially allowed him to await trial under home detention. However, prosecutors objected, considering Gun a flight risk and a potential threat to disclose government secrets. Prosecutors appealed the decision, resulting in Gun remaining in custody until a hearing before U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff in Alexandria.
Gun, an electrical engineer at the Joint Warfare Analysis Center with a Top Secret security clearance, obtained U.S. citizenship in 2021 after being born in Turkey. Prosecutors highlighted that a Top Secret document found in Gun’s possession referenced sensitive research and development that could jeopardize national security if obtained by adversaries.
There were mentions of the possibility of more severe charges against Gun under the Espionage Act. Gun’s lawyer argued against assumptions that Gun intended to take the backpack containing the Top Secret document on his Mexico trip, suggesting that the classified documents could have been printed mistakenly among the thousands of unclassified papers he had printed. However, prosecutors pointed out changes in Gun’s printing behavior, where he began mixing in classified documents just after acquiring his security clearance, culminating in a significant batch of classified papers printed shortly before his arrest.