Jamshid Ghomi, California-based tech exec arrested for supplying US tech to Iran, money laundering

A dual US-Iranian national and CEO of a Tehran-based technology company was arrested Wednesday on federal charges accusing him of conspiring to violate US sanctions by supplying sophisticated American networking, security and encryption equipment to Iran’s military and nuclear programs, according to the US Justice Department.

Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, was taken into custody at his multimillion-dollar waterfront home in Orange County following a federal investigation, authorities said.

He faces a charge of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and could receive up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint, Ghomi, who owns and operates Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd. in Tehran, used his personal eBay and PayPal accounts from 2011 to 2023 to purchase US-origin equipment and route it through intermediaries, the BBC reported.

From 2014 to 2018, he and co-conspirators allegedly smuggled more than 250 metric tons (about 276 US tons) of networking equipment into Iran, concealing the ultimate destination with freight forwarders and front companies.

Nuclear and military programmes

Prosecutors say some of the equipment went to the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, which oversees the country’s nuclear program, and to Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics.

Internal correspondence referred to Iran as the “Motherland,” court papers allege.

Money laundering

Authorities also accuse Ghomi of laundering more than $15 million in proceeds into US bank accounts and a construction escrow, falsely claiming the funds as foreign inheritance while reporting minimal income on tax returns, including a peak of just over $20,000 in one year.

Federal officials say the money helped fund construction of his roughly $35 million mansion in Newport Coast and are seeking its forfeiture.

“As alleged, Ghomi enriched himself by supplying US technology to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and other sanctioned entities responsible for Iran’s nuclear program,” a Justice Department official said in a statement.

Innocence presumed

Ghomi made an initial court appearance Wednesday in Santa Ana. His arraignment is scheduled for July 13. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and other agencies, with assistance from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California and other officials emphasised efforts to counter sanctions evasion supporting Iran’s prohibited programs.