Abouzar Rahmati, a former contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has been indicted for acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the Iranian government in the United States without prior notice to the Attorney General. Rahmati, 42, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Great Falls, Virginia, made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia.
The indictment alleges that from December 2017 through June 2024, Rahmati conspired with Iranian government officials and intelligence operatives. His activities included meeting with Iranian intelligence officers in Iran, using cover stories to hide his conduct, obtaining employment with an FAA contractor to access sensitive non-public information, and providing open-source and non-public materials about the U.S. solar energy industry to Iranian intelligence.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division stated: “As alleged, the defendant conspired with Iranian officials and intelligence operatives, even lying to obtain employment as a U.S. government contractor only to then share sensitive government materials with Iran.” He added that when undisclosed agents of foreign governments infiltrate American companies or agencies, "the Justice Department will use every available tool to identify them and bring them to justice."
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia commented: “This defendant is charged with infiltrating a U.S. agency with the intent of providing Iran with sensitive information vital to our national security.” He credited the FBI and FAA investigators for stopping Rahmati's actions.
Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch said: “This indictment describes the reprehensible actions of an individual who allegedly betrayed his country by transferring sensitive U.S. information to a foreign power.” He emphasized that such actions compromise national security and put U.S. jobs at risk.
The indictment details that from June 2009 to May 2010, Rahmati served as a First Lieutenant in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After being discharged from IRGC service, he lied about his military background to gain employment as a U.S. government contractor.
In August 2017, Rahmati offered his services to an Iranian official he had known from university days who previously worked in Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. By December 2017, he traveled to Iran where he agreed to gather information on the U.S. solar energy industry for Iranian officials under a cover story involving academic research discussions.
Upon returning to the United States in December 2017, Rahmati provided various non-public materials related to solar energy industry operations to an Iranian official. He also applied for multiple positions within private companies and government entities seeking access to sensitive information until securing a position with "U.S. Company 1," which supported FAA contracts concerning its National Airspace System (NAS).
While employed at "U.S. Company 1," Rahmati downloaded sensitive documents related to NAS onto removable media and delivered them during an April 2022 trip back to Iran.
The FBI Washington Field Office is leading the investigation with significant assistance from FAA’s Office of Counterintelligence and Technical Operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Kimberly Paschall for D.C., along with Trial Attorneys Beau Barnes and Alexander Wharton from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence Section are prosecuting this case. The Eastern District of Virginia's U.S Attorney’s Office also provided support.