A California-based technology company CEO, Jamshid Ghomi, has been arrested by U.S. federal authorities on charges of operating a sophisticated and covert international network that allegedly violated U.S. sanctions by supplying sensitive networking and security equipment to Iran. According to investigative agencies, the network remained active for more than a decade and involved billions of dollars in suspicious transactions and financial flows.
Officials allege that Ghomi, who holds dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship and also runs an Iran-based technology firm, orchestrated a complex procurement and export scheme involving U.S.-origin encryption and networking technologies. He is accused of using intermediary companies based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and layered corporate structures to conceal the true end destination of the equipment.
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Online Procurement and Falsified Shipping Networks
Court documents state that between 2011 and 2023, Ghomi used mainstream online platforms such as eBay and PayPal to make hundreds of purchases of restricted U.S. technology products. These goods were initially shipped to the UAE and then rerouted to Iran. In 2023, he allegedly attempted direct procurement from U.S. suppliers as well, which were again routed through UAE-based intermediaries to bypass automated export compliance checks.
U.S. authorities claim that during a peak operational window between 2014 and 2018, approximately 250 metric tons of networking equipment were covertly shipped to Iran. Shipping documents were allegedly falsified, and the restricted hardware was reportedly concealed within larger, unrelated commercial shipments. Investigators also found that internal company correspondence referred to Iran using the tracking code name “Motherland.”
Supplying Sensitive Defense and Nuclear Sectors
The corporate network reportedly generated substantial annual revenues exceeding $10 million, establishing an active client base across hundreds of Iranian companies and government-linked entities. More serious allegations suggest that Ghomi’s company successfully supplied U.S.-origin technology to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and entities explicitly linked to the Ministry of Defense.
These organizations are believed to be tightly connected to Iran’s sensitive military and nuclear development programs, significantly escalating the national security implications of the federal case.
Global Money Laundering and Luxury Asset Seizures
Investigators further allege that the substantial proceeds from the operation were systematically laundered through the U.S. banking system and multiple international financial channels. Funds were reportedly moved through shell companies in jurisdictions including the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE. Ghomi is also accused of concealing his actual income in tax filings, falsely declaring around ₹1,245 crore in transactions.
Authorities claim that these illicit proceeds were directly used to finance the construction of a luxury mansion in Newport Coast, California, valued at approximately ₹290 crore. The luxury property is believed to have been built entirely using funds generated through the alleged sanctions evasion network. If convicted on all federal counts, Ghomi faces up to 20 years in federal prison as international supply-chain audits continue.
