California Man Charged with Selling Restricted Technology to Iran

Jamshid Ghomi, a businessman from Newport Coast, California, is facing conspiracy charges for allegedly supplying American networking equipment to entities in Iran. According to the U.S. Justice Department, these entities have connections to Iran’s nuclear and military programs.

Mr. Ghomi, 63, holds dual citizenship in Iran and the United States. The charges include conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Authorities state that he operated as the chief executive of Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh, a Tehran-based technology company.

“Our nation’s laws prohibiting doing business with one of the world’s largest state sponsors of terrorism must be enforced and obeyed,” stated Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.

The federal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claims that Mr. Ghomi purchased American-made technology over a period from approximately 2011 to 2023. These equipment purchases were routed through intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates before reaching customers in Iran. Notably, such technology cannot be legally exported to Iran without authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department.

The complaint highlights that Mr. Ghomi obtained substantial quantities of restricted networking equipment, using platforms like eBay, and facilitated their shipment. The technology included equipment from leading manufacturers such as Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Extreme Networks, and Hewlett-Packard.

His company was involved in supplying American-made equipment to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, responsible for the nation’s nuclear operations, between 2017 and 2023. Additionally, networking and security equipment was sold to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and affiliated entities from 2014 to 2022.

Federal prosecutors have revealed that Mr. Ghomi funneled proceeds from these sales into the United States. The financial transfer involved a complex network of companies and exchange houses across various regions, including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Hong Kong, and the British Virgin Islands.

Investigators reported that over $15 million was channeled from Iran into accounts linked to Mr. Ghomi between 2011 and 2024. These funds were reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a foreign inheritance, while he claimed minimal annual income on his federal tax returns.

Mr. Ghomi made his initial court appearance without entering a plea, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

This case marks another effort by the U.S. government to restrict rival countries from accessing American technology. The Justice and Commerce Departments have been actively enforcing relevant laws in recent years.