From a Newport Coast mansion to allegations tied to Iran's military supply chain, the arrest of a US‑Iranian tech executive has jolted officials across intelligence and sanctions‑enforcement circles. Authorities say the case centres on years of covert procurement activity allegedly masked through opaque financial routes and shell companies that spanned multiple jurisdictions.
The US Justice Department claims the operation extended into sensitive defence‑linked sectors in Iran, raising fresh questions about how restricted technologies were allegedly sourced and moved despite long‑standing American sanctions.
US authorities describe Jamshid Ghomi as a tech entrepreneur who operated across the United States and Iran through a network of companies focused on computer‑networking equipment. He is accused of building a cross‑border supply chain that blended legitimate commercial activity with restricted exports, a structure investigators say enabled long‑term access to advanced networking hardware.
Ghomi, 63, is the CEO of Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd., a Tehran‑based firm that allegedly served customers in Iran for more than a decade, generating over £8 million ($10 million) in annual revenue.
His net worth is not publicly disclosed. However, authorities claim he under‑reported his income to the IRS. His highest reported annual income was reportedly only £16,140 ($20,684). Additionally, he reportedly claimed the federal Earned Income Tax Credit for low‑income families for seven years, perTimes Now.
US Attorney Bill Essayli said authorities are seeking to seize his assets, including a £28 million ($35 million) mansion in Newport Beach, California. His broader business holdings and family details have not been fully detailed in court filings.
According to the Justice Department, Ghomi was arrested for allegedly laundering more than $15 million (£12 million) in proceeds back into the United States through complex wire transfers routed via Hong Kong, Turkey and the British Virgin Islands.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on X that Ghomi is 'accused of violating U.S. sanctions laws by providing technological equipment to the government of Iran, including its military and nuclear program.'
Authorities allege Ghomi oversaw the movement of more than 250 metric tons of computer‑networking equipment into Iran via Dubai from 2014 to 2018, later continuing procurement efforts in 2023 by arranging purchases from suppliers in Minnesota and Nebraska through a UAE‑based front company. Prosecutors further claim he moved over $15 million (£12 million) in Iranian earnings into the US through shell entities in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey and the UAE, allegedly disguising the funds as 'foreign inheritances' and 'consulting fees' in his tax filings.
For more than 10 years, prosecutors allege, Ghomi used his Tehran‑based company to procure computer‑networking equipment for Iranian customers in violation of US sanctions. A portion of that trade, authorities say, involved highly sensitive end‑users linked to Iran's nuclear and military establishment.
Source: International Business Times UK
