California-based technology executive Jamshid Ghomi has been arrested on federal charges accusing him of orchestrating a years-long scheme to smuggle sophisticated US networking and encryption equipment to Iran's military and nuclear sectors. Ghomi, 63, a dual US-Iranian citizen and resident of Newport Coast in Orange County, was taken into custody following a federal criminal complaint alleging conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
According to prosecutors, Ghomi is the CEO of Tehran-based Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd. (FPR), a technology company whose annual sales exceeded $10 million and whose customers allegedly included sensitive Iranian government entities.
Federal authorities allege that between 2011 and 2023, Ghomi used personal eBay and PayPal accounts, along with front companies and freight forwarders in the United Arab Emirates, to illegally acquire and route controlled US technology to Iran without obtaining the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Investigators say FPR supplied networking equipment to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) from 2017 to 2023. AEOI oversees Iran's uranium-enrichment and nuclear programs. Prosecutors also allege that between 2014 and 2022, the company provided security and encryption hardware to Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
Authorities claim Ghomi orchestrated the shipment of more than 250 metric tons of computer networking equipment into Iran through Dubai between 2014 and 2018. In 2023, he allegedly negotiated direct purchases from suppliers in Minnesota and Nebraska, routing the equipment through a UAE-based front company.
The complaint further alleges that Ghomi laundered more than $15 million in Iranian revenue into the United States through shell companies located in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE. Prosecutors say he disguised the transfers as "foreign inheritances" or "consulting fees" on tax filings.
Despite constructing a custom Newport Coast mansion valued at approximately $35 million, authorities allege Ghomi reported little income to the IRS, with his highest reported annual income totaling $20,684. Investigators also claim he claimed the federal Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families during seven separate tax years.
The investigation is being led by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, with the Justice Department's Major Frauds Section handling the prosecution.
Ghomi is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in Santa Ana. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, along with the potential seizure of his assets, including his Orange County mansion.
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