Federal authorities in California have arrested Jamshid Ghomi, a dual U.S.-Iranian national and tech executive, for allegedly orchestrating a massive, decade-long smuggling network that funneled restricted American technology straight to Iran’s military and nuclear programs. Operating through his Tehran-based computer networking firm, Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh, the 63-year-old CEO is accused of acquiring sophisticated, U.S.-origin networking, security, and encryption equipment without obtaining the required licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department. According to a newly unsealed federal criminal complaint, Ghomi utilized his personal eBay and PayPal accounts alongside shell companies scattered across Hong Kong, Turkey, and the British Virgin Islands to quietly procure the gear, routing over 250 metric tons of controlled hardware through freight forwarders in Dubai to mask the final destination. Prosecutors revealed that a significant portion of these illicit shipments directly supplied highly sensitive end-users, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. Investigators also exposed a staggering financial contrast in Ghomi’s lifestyle; despite reporting virtually no personal income to the IRS and claiming federal tax credits meant for low-income families, he successfully laundered more than $15 million in illegal proceeds into the United States to build a custom, $35 million ocean-view mansion in Newport Coast, where federal agents ultimately apprehended him. Ghomi now faces a federal charge of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, carrying a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, while federal prosecutors actively move to seize his luxury Orange County estate as part of the sweeping national security investigation.
California Tech CEO Arrested for Smuggling Advanced Encryption and Military Gear to Iran
