A dual US-Iranian citizen and the CEO of a Tehran-based technology company have been arrested in the United States on federal charges related to an alleged ten-year scheme to export illegally US-origin networking and encryption hardware to Iran’s nuclear and military sectors, in violation of sanctions regulations.According to ANI, the defendant, Jamshid Gumi, 63, a resident of Newport Coast, California, was taken into custody following a federal criminal complaint accusing him of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The complaint alleges that he purchased and exported banned US technology to Iran without obtaining the required authorization from OFAC.Federal prosecutors identified Gumi as the founder and CEO of Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Ltd. (FPR), through which he allegedly obtained sensitive U.S. networking equipment. The equipment was allegedly redirected through third-party intermediaries in the UAE before being transferred to Iranian recipients, including government and military entities.The US Department of Justice stated that investigators consider the operation a deliberate effort to circumvent export controls and direct advanced US technology to Iranian entities subject to sanctions.
Authorities alleged that between 2011 and 2015, Gumi used eBay and PayPal accounts to make more than 400 regulated technology acquisitions before moving on to direct purchases from commercial suppliers in Minnesota and Nebraska through a network of shell companies. Investigators further alleged that, from 2014 to 2018, he coordinated the transit of more than 250 metric tons of devices into Iran through shipping services operating out of Dubai, during which shipping records were falsified and end-user identities were systematically concealed.Court filings indicate that FPR supplied technology to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the body responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear program, as well as to the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces Logistics. Additionally, the company allegedly provided encryption and security systems for defense-related operations in violation of the express sanctions prohibition.Prosecutors said Gumi covered the financial trail through complex cash transactions, fraudulent invoices and shell companies, transferring more than $15 million to the United States between 2011 and 2024.
Authorities also allege he deliberately under-reported his income to tax officials while financing a multi-million-dollar luxury estate on the Newport Coast with the proceeds of illegal trading.The Justice Department noted that the prosecution forms part of broader federal enforcement efforts to prevent unauthorized technology transfers to adversarial nations. If convicted, Gumi faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Judicial officials indicated that the criminal complaint constitutes an allegation only, and that the accused maintains the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court.