The Justice Department announced that Abuzar Rahmati, a former FAA contractor, has been indicted on charges of spying for Iran. Rahmati is said to have shared “secret government material” with Iranian intelligence. Mr. Rahmati is also accused of lying about his military background to obtain employment with the U.S. government.
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A former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contractor has been indicted on charges of using his position to conduct espionage for Iran, the Department of Justice announced.
According to the indictment, Abuzar Rahmati, 42, an Iranian-born naturalized U.S. citizen, is accused of conspiring with Iranian government officials and intelligence agents to conduct espionage activities from at least December 2017 to June 2024. He has been indicted.
Before working for the FAA, Mr. Rahmati served as a lieutenant in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from approximately June 2009 to approximately May 2010, according to the indictment.
He then tried to get a job as a U.S. government contractor and lied about his time in the Revolutionary Guards to do so, the Justice Department said.
But by the end of 2017, Rahmati had agreed to act as an agent for the Iranian government and was tasked with obtaining information about the U.S. solar energy industry, according to the indictment.
He ultimately was able to land a job with an unnamed company that assists the FAA with contracts related to “the power and electrical architecture of the FAA’s National Airspace System,” the Justice Department added.
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While working for the company, he downloaded “classified and non-public” documents related to the FAA and brought them to Iran in April 2022, the ministry said.
“These included documentation related to the NAS that would allow someone not familiar with NAS equipment engineering to have a reasonable understanding of how the power and electrical architecture of the NAS is configured.” says the Department of Justice.
Rahmati used a cover story “based on purported discussions about his research with fellow academics,” but also obtained “a variety of private and open source materials related to the U.S. solar energy industry.” He gave it to the Iranians. government officials, the Justice Department said.
According to the paper, Rahmati sent further information about U.S. solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, airports and air traffic control towers to his brother in April 2022, and his brother sent a file about his information to Iranian intelligence. It is said that he is suspected of acting as an intermediary. on behalf of.
“This indictment describes the reprehensible conduct of an individual who allegedly betrayed his country by transferring classified U.S. information to a foreign power,” said Robert Wells, FBI chief of staff for national security. ” he said.
He added: “This alleged betrayal not only undermines national security, but also puts American jobs and livelihoods at risk.”
The Ministry of Justice and the Islamic Republic of Iran did not respond to requests for comment.
