California tech boss accused of smuggling equipment to Iran

US officials have arrested a dual US-Iranian citizen who they accuse of using his technology company to violate US sanctions by smuggling sensitive computer systems to Iran, including to Iran's nuclear and military establishment.

Jamshid Ghomi, 63, was arrested on Wednesday morning in a raid on his home in Newport Coast in the Los Angeles area.

According to prosecutors, Ghomi began making illegal shipments to Iran in 2011, ultimately smuggling hundreds of tonnes of "sophisticated US-origin networking, security, and encryption equipment for Iranian customers".

Ghomi, who has not yet commented on the case, faces up to 20 years in prison.

He appeared in court on Wednesday and entered no plea, and his arraignment has been set for July 13, according to ABC News.

Ghomi is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to a news release from the US Department of Justice.

"Ghomi is accused of aiding our declared enemies by selling US-origin computer networking parts to Iran and earning millions of dollars in violation of US sanction laws," said Attorney Bill Essayli.

"Our nation's laws prohibiting doing business with one of the world's largest state sponsors of terrorism must be enforced and obeyed. We will hold him accountable by seeking an appropriate prison sentence and by seizing his assets, including his $35 million (£26m) Newport Beach mansion."

Ghomi - the owner and CEO of the Tehran-based computer networking company Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd. (FPR) - is alleged to have used his job to purchase sanctioned goods in the US and ship them to Iran via the United Arab Emirates.

From 2014 to 2018, he allegedly arranged for more than 250 metric tonnes of networking equipment to be illegally sent to Iran.

Prosecutors say he took steps to conceal his activities, all while earning his company more than $10m (£7.4m) in annual sales.

FPR's "clientele included hundreds of Iranian companies and government entities", prosecutors say, adding that "a relatively small but significant portion of that business went to the most sensitive end-users in Iran: the Iranian regime's nuclear and military establishment."

He then allegedly laundered his proceeds, wiring them to himself in California via intermediaries in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE.

From 2011 to 2024, he is accused of moving more than $15m (£11.1m) to himself, falsely reporting the funds to tax regulators as "foreign inheritance".

Some of the proceeds are alleged to have gone towards his home in Orange County, where he was arrested. Officials say he purchased the property in 2010 for almost $4.5m (£3.3m), and later paid approximately $10.5m (£7.8m) to build himself a luxury mansion.

The Trump administration accuses Iran of using its nuclear programme to pursue an atomic weapon, a claim which it denies.

His arrest comes as the conflict between US and Iran continues with no end in sight.

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that negotiations between the two countries are "going on continuously".