US authorities have arrested a California-based technology executive on charges of allegedly violating sanctions against Iran by exporting sensitive American computer networking equipment to entities linked to the country's nuclear and military establishment, BBC reported.
Jamshid Ghomi, a 63-year-old dual US-Iranian citizen, was taken into custody on Wednesday during a raid at his residence in Newport Coast, California, according to the US Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors allege that Ghomi used his position as owner and chief executive of Tehran-based Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd. (FPR) to procure restricted US-origin networking, security and encryption equipment and ship it to Iran through intermediary channels in the United Arab Emirates.
According to court filings, the alleged scheme began in 2011 and continued for more than a decade. Between 2014 and 2018 alone, Ghomi is accused of arranging shipments of more than 250 metric tonnes of networking equipment to Iran.
The Justice Department said FPR served hundreds of Iranian businesses and government-linked entities, including what prosecutors described as "the most sensitive end-users in Iran: the Iranian regime's nuclear and military establishment."
"Ghomi is accused of aiding our declared enemies by selling US-origin computer networking parts to Iran and earning millions of dollars in violation of US sanction laws," US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.
"Our nation's laws prohibiting doing business with one of the world's largest state sponsors of terrorism must be enforced and obeyed. We will hold him accountable by seeking an appropriate prison sentence and by seizing his assets, including his $35 million Newport Beach mansion," Essayli added.
Prosecutors further allege that Ghomi laundered proceeds from the operation through intermediaries in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey and the UAE before transferring the funds to the United States.
From 2011 to 2024, he allegedly moved more than $15 million to accounts under his control in California while reporting the funds to tax authorities as foreign inheritance.
Authorities claim part of those proceeds were used to develop a luxury estate in Orange County. Ghomi reportedly purchased the property in 2010 for nearly $4.5 million and later spent about $10.5 million constructing a mansion on the site.
Ghomi has not publicly commented on the allegations. He appeared in federal court on Wednesday and did not enter a plea. His first court appearance has been scheduled for July 13. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. The arrest comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain elevated, although US President Donald Trump has recently said negotiations with Iran are "going on continuously".
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