A California technology executive was arrested at his luxury oceanfront mansion after being accused of illegally supplying advanced American networking and encryption equipment to Iranian nuclear and military institutions for more than a decade, according to the US Department of Justice.Jamshid Gumi, 63 years old, holds dual Iranian and American citizenship. He was taken into custody at his $35 million Newport Beach estate and charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Authorities allege he helped transfer sensitive technology to Iran and its Defense Ministry through a long-running smuggling operation.He is accused of using intermediaries in the UAE to direct purchases and shipments, including more than 400 transactions made via eBay and PayPal between 2011 and 2015.
Prosecutors say more than 250 metric tons of networking equipment was smuggled into Iran between 2014 and 2018 through Dubai-based shipping agents.Gumi ran the operation through his company, Faraz Pardaz Rayana (FPR), which had annual sales of more than $10 million. Investigators also allege that the company supplied Iran’s Ministry of Defense between 2014 and 2022 and its nuclear agency from 2017 to 2023.Authorities also allege that Gumi transferred more than $15 million from Iran to American accounts, falsely describing them as foreign heritage.
The money was laundered through shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.Gumi’s personal tax returns show almost no income, with his highest annual income being $20,684, and that he received the earned income tax credit in seven separate years despite his alleged wealth.The case also shows the size of his assets. Gumi bought a vacant lot for $4.49 million in March 2010, and later spent about $10.49 million to build a 14,000-square-foot mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the California Post reported.
More than $7 million in foreign remittances linked to his company flowed into the account used to finance construction.The United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s atomic agency in 2020 and later registered FPR as an authorized vendor in 2021 and 2022.“We will hold him accountable by seeking an appropriate prison sentence and forfeiting his assets, including his $35 million Newport Beach mansion,” said First Assistant US Attorney Bill Iseley.Al-Asili also said that Gumi was “aiding our declared enemies” and “dealing with one of the largest state sponsors of terrorism in the world.”Gumi was scheduled to appear in court in Santa Ana, Orange County, and faces a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.