Three Silicon Valley Engineers Indicted for Allegedly Sending Stolen Trade Secrets to Iran
Federal prosecutors charge former employees from Google and other leading technology companies with stealing processor trade secrets and sending sensitive materials to Iran
Federal prosecutors have indicted three Silicon Valley engineers on charges of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to steal trade secrets from Google and other leading technology companies. The defendants—Samaneh Ghandali, 41; her sister Soroor Ghandali, 32; and Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40—were arrested Thursday and appeared in federal district court in San Jose on charges that could land each of them behind bars for up to 20 years.
The indictment identified the defendants as Iranian nationals with varying immigration statuses. Soroor was in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant student visa, while Samaneh later became a U.S. citizen. Khosravi, Samaneh’s husband, became a U.S. legal permanent resident. Notably, prosecutors said that Khosravi previously served in the Iranian army.
The defendants allegedly exploited their trusted positions within the industry to access highly sensitive information in modern computing: design and security information related to Snapdragon system-on-chip (SoC) technology used widely in Android devices. Prosecutors allege the trio then transferred this confidential material to Iran, raising serious national security concerns.
The Alleged Conspiracy
According to the indictment, Samaneh and Soroor Ghandali both worked at Google before joining a third undisclosed technology company, while Khosravi—Samaneh’s husband—was employed at a separate firm specializing in system-on-chip (SoC) platforms. Over time, the three allegedly exploited their system access to download hundreds of confidential files containing sensitive information about processor security, cryptography, and semiconductor architecture.
The defendants operated with surprising sophistication in their efforts to conceal the theft. Rather than using standard email or cloud storage services, they routed stolen files through third-party communications platforms, creating channels bearing each defendant’s first name. They then copied the material onto personal devices and to each other’s work computers before ultimately transferring it to Iran.
The boldness of their operation even extended to physical measures. Prosecutors allege that on the night before Samaneh and Khosravi traveled to Iran in December 2023, the pair took approximately 24 photos from Khosravi’s work computer containing highly confidential information about Snapdragon SoC architecture—an apparent attempt to circumvent digital monitoring systems that might detect file transfers.
Discovery and Cover-Up
Google’s internal security systems flagged suspicious activity on Samaneh’s account, and revoked her access to company resources in August 2023. Samaneh allegedly signed a false affidavit claiming she had never shared Google’s confidential information outside the company.
Samaneh and her husband, Khosravi, then undertook a series of desperate measures to cover their tracks. According to prosecutors, the pair used personal laptops to search for methods to delete communications and researched how long mobile carriers retain message records—suggesting a calculated effort to destroy evidence of their communications.
“The method in which confidential data was transferred by the defendants involved deliberate steps to evade detection and conceal their identities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.
Implications for National Security
This case arrives at a particularly sensitive moment in the ongoing technological competition between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Snapdragon processors at the center of the alleged theft represent years of research and development backed by significant investment, with independent economic value precisely because competitors cannot readily obtain the technology through legitimate means.
Google confirmed it had detected the alleged theft through routine security monitoring and immediately referred the matter to law enforcement. “We have enhanced safeguards to protect our confidential information,” a company spokesperson stated.
The defendants face up to 10 years in prison for each trade secret charge and up to 20 years for obstruction of justice, along with fines of up to $250,000 per count. As the case proceeds through the federal courts, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale about the persistent insider threat facing Silicon Valley’s most sensitive operations.