Alleged Iranian spies are already in the US — and infiltrating Silicon Valley
Three Iranian software engineers have been accused by federal prosecutors of infiltrating the American technology sector and stealing sensitive corporate information from major companies in Silicon Valley.
A federal grand jury issued an indictment last month charging Samaneh Ghandali, 41, her sister Sorvoor Ghandali, 32, and Samaneh’s husband, Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the three allegedly used positions at unidentified technology firms to gain access to confidential material belonging to several companies, including Google.
Investigators say the group obtained sensitive documents related to processor security, cryptography, and other advanced technologies. Prosecutors claim the information was removed from company systems and transferred to other locations, including destinations in Iran. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Ghandali sisters also have ties to a well-known figure inside Iran’s political and financial establishment. Their father, Shahabeddin Ghandali, previously served as chief executive of Iran’s Teachers Investment Fund Corporation. In 2016 he was arrested in connection with a massive financial scandal involving roughly $2.5 billion and alleged fraud linked to Iran’s Bank Sarmayeh. Reports at the time indicated that while he was detained and charged, it remains unclear whether he was ultimately prosecuted as part of the case.
Critics of Iran’s government living in the United States argue that family connections to powerful figures in the Iranian system can create security concerns when individuals gain access to American research and technology sectors. Lawdan Bazargan, an Iranian human rights activist who leads the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists, said such links raise questions about potential risks.
She said individuals who come from influential networks in authoritarian governments can gain trust and professional connections through universities and research institutions in the United States. According to Bazargan, that access can sometimes create vulnerabilities if it is misused.
Authorities have pursued several other cases in recent years involving alleged Iranian influence or intelligence activity inside the United States.
One notable example involved Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, an Iranian-American political science professor who taught at Harvard and other universities. In 2021, federal prosecutors charged him with failing to register as an agent of a foreign government under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Prosecutors alleged that for more than a decade Afrasiabi secretly worked on behalf of Iran’s government and the country’s mission to the United Nations to promote messaging favorable to Tehran. According to the criminal complaint, he received more than $250,000 from accounts tied to the Iranian UN mission beginning in 2007 and also received health insurance benefits through the mission’s employee program starting in 2011.
The Justice Department said Afrasiabi had written articles, communicated with lawmakers, and spoken with journalists without revealing that he was being compensated by the Iranian government. Officials also alleged that he advised Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations about potential responses after the U.S. military strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3, 2020.
Prosecutors said Afrasiabi suggested Iran could halt cooperation with inspections and withhold information about its nuclear program until the United Nations Security Council condemned the United States for the strike. According to the complaint, he described the idea as a way to instill fear in the country’s adversaries.
Afrasiabi denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty. In television interviews he described himself as a consultant to Iran’s UN mission and said he had been politically targeted during the administration of President Trump. He characterized his work as focused on promoting dialogue and reconciliation between the United States and Iran.
In 2023, President Biden granted Afrasiabi a full pardon as part of a prisoner exchange agreement. He is believed to still reside in the United States.
Another case involved Iranian-American Ahmadreza Mohammadi Doostdar, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Iran. Federal prosecutors said he conducted surveillance on Jewish organizations at the University of Chicago and also monitored Iranian-Americans associated with the Mujahedin-e Khalq, a militant group opposed to Iran’s government.
Investigators said his father, Hossein Mohammadi-Doostdar, previously led Iran’s College Publications Center. Ahmadreza Mohammadi Doostdar ultimately received a prison sentence of just over three years.
Authorities also prosecuted his associate, Majid Ghorbani of California, who was accused of participating in the surveillance activities. Ghorbani was sentenced to 30 months in prison, according to the Justice Department.
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