Federal agents arrested a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen on Wednesday at his $35 million oceanfront mansion in Newport Coast, California, for allegedly providing the Iranian regime with American equipment to help with its nuclear and military programs.
Jamshid Ghomi, the 63-year-old founder and CEO of a Tehran-based tech company allegedly used front companies, personal online accounts, and laundered funds to move restricted technology to Iranian users while amassing wealth that he hid from the IRS.
From The New York Post:
Federal agents pounced on the opulent $35 million Newport Beach mansion of an Iranian tech boss charged with supplying US computer hardware to the Iran’s military and nuclear programs in a daring predawn raid on Wednesday.
The California Post was there as the FBI arrested Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, who was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and is expected to appear Wednesday afternoon in Santa Ana federal court.
The businessman, who is a dual citizen of Iran and the US, is accused of selling computer hardware to the Iranian government for use in its military and nuclear operations. Prosecutors allege Ghomi made millions on those deals and invented elaborate schemes to hide the transactions.
“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 Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor Bill Essayli.
“We will hold him accountable by seeking an appropriate prison sentence and by seizing his assets, including his $35 million Newport Beach mansion,” he added.
🚨MAN WHO BOUGHT A $35 MILLION MANSION WITH IRAN SANCTIONS MONEY JUST GOT ARRESTED
— NewsForce (@Newsforce) June 3, 2026
A dual U.S.-Iranian CEO was arrested today for smuggling U.S. networking and encryption equipment to Iran’s nuclear agency and military for over a decade.
Jamshid Ghomi used front companies and… pic.twitter.com/l53tpozGaf
Ghomi faces a single count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for arranging shipments of American networking, security, and encryption equipment to Iranian customers without obtaining the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
“Ghomi is accused of aiding our declared enemies by selling U.S.-origin computer networking parts to Iran and earning millions of dollars in violation of U.S. sanction laws,” said First Assistant United States 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 Newport Beach mansion.”
The complaint alleges that Ghomi founded his company in Tehran and facilitated purchases from suppliers in Minnesota and Nebraska. He allegedly routed the equipment through front companies in Dubai to conceal the fact that it was headed to Iran. He used his own eBay and PayPal accounts for hundreds of other purchases between 2011 and 2023.
Between 2014 and 2018, Ghomi allegedly arranged the smuggling of over 250 metric tons of networking equipment into Iran by hiding items inside larger shipments, keeping his name off paperwork, and omitting invoices. Company messages referred to Iran as the “Motherland.”
Ghomi’s operation supplied the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the country’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. This generated over $10 million in yearly sales. He moved the proceeds into the United States through offshore shell corporations with false descriptions like “Buying Goods” and “For Consulting Fees.”
If convicted, Ghomi faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Prosecutors are looking to seize his assets as well.
Iran has relied on operatives and procurement networks like the one Ghomi allegedly ran for decades. The regime works with dual nationals, front companies in other countries, falsified documentation and other methods.