Tech CEO Accused of Secret Shipments to Iran
Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman has weighed in on the allegations against tech CEO Jamshid Ghomi, accused of selling U.S. computer networking parts to Iran. Hoffman highlights the FBI’s role in exposing this tech scheme, which potentially harms U.S. national security by aiding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, Ghomi is suspected of supporting Iran’s military and nuclear endeavors by acquiring sensitive American technology. He allegedly used millions from these activities to build a mansion in Newport Beach, according to federal prosecutors.
Ghomi, 63, resides in Newport Coast, California. He faces charges of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions by exporting restricted American networking, security, and encryption equipment to Iran. These shipments reportedly included entities related to Iran’s military and nuclear programs.
Ghomi enriched himself by supplying U.S. technology to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and other sanctioned entities,
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated.
This arrest is part of a broader federal crackdown on Iranian procurement networks. In recent years, authorities charged several Iranian nationals with illegally obtaining U.S. technology for military purposes.
The Justice Department accuses Ghomi of using proceeds from technology sales to Iran to fund his $35 million mansion. He allegedly funneled sophisticated U.S. equipment to Iranian government bodies through intermediaries in the UAE.
Investigators suggest the sanctions-evasion scheme generated millions for Ghomi. He purportedly laundered funds through offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE. Over $15 million linked to his business allegedly reached U.S. accounts, used to finance his Newport Coast property.
Officials claim Ghomi falsely described money transfers as “Buying Goods” or “For Consulting Fees” and misrepresented the revenue on his tax returns.
While his reported income was approximately $20,684, Ghomi owned and constructed a 14,000-square-foot mansion worth about $35 million. Authorities allege that $7 million in foreign wire transfers associated with the sanctions-evasion scheme funded the property.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, Our nation’s laws prohibiting business with one of the world’s largest state sponsors of terrorism must be enforced and obeyed.
Ghomi’s company, Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd., allegedly supplied American-made products to sensitive Iranian institutions, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). These entities oversee crucial components of Iran’s nuclear activities and were sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in 2020.
The CEO purportedly sent over 250 metric tons of networking and computer equipment to Iran from 2014 to 2018, violating U.S. sanctions and hiding these operations. Associates were instructed to omit Ghomi’s name from important documents.
If convicted, Ghomi could face up to 20 years in prison.