A dual US-Iranian citizen was arrested on Wednesday and charged with providing sophisticated computer equipment to Iran, including technology for its military and nuclear programs, officials said.Jamshid Ghomi, 63, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of violating US sanctions on Iran, Justice Department officials said.
Ghomi allegedly "violated US sanctions against Iran, aided one of our nation's enemies, supported Iran's nuclear program, and got rich doing it," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on X.
US Attorney Bill Essayli said authorities were seeking to seize Ghomi's assets, including a $35 million mansion in Newport Beach, California.
For more than a decade, Ghomi allegedly used his Tehran-based company, Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd., to procure computer networking equipment for customers in Iran in violation of US sanctions, the Justice Department said in a statement.
"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," it said.
The Justice Department said Ghomi used front companies in the United Arab Emirates to conceal shipments of computer networking equipment bound for Iran.
