Iran’s procurement network had an Orange County address

Federal prosecutors have charged Jamshid Ghomi, a 63-year-old dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and technology executive, with violating federal export controls by supplying U.S. equipment to Iran’s nuclear program and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ghomi, who lived in Newport Coast, Orange County, was taken into custody at his luxury ocean-view estate, where authorities allege he operated a procurement network since 2011. The operation began with purchases through personal eBay and PayPal accounts before expanding to direct relationships with American suppliers. Between 2014 and 2018, prosecutors claim over 275 tons of enterprise hardware moved through the network, concealed in shipments routed via freight forwarders and intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates. Shipping documents were allegedly altered, and commercial invoices removed to obscure the transfers. Investigators state that advanced U.S. components were smuggled into Iran, with internal communications referring to the country as the ‘Motherland.’ Over $15 million allegedly flowed through offshore entities in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the UAE before reaching the U.S. Ghomi reportedly claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit while residing in a $35 million Newport Coast estate. The case highlights a pattern where American technology, intended for domestic use, is exploited through commercial supply chains to evade export restrictions. Similar cases have emerged in Houston and California, involving aircraft components and processors destined for Iran via third-country intermediaries. Prosecutors describe the operation as highly coordinated, leveraging mundane commercial processes—purchase orders, suppliers, and shipping manifests—to bypass U.S. national security measures. The allegations underscore broader concerns about vulnerabilities in global trade networks and the challenges of tracking illicit transactions amid legitimate commerce.