Abouzar Rahmati Charged as an Agent of the Iranian Government

A former FAA contractor was indicted on September 27 for acting as an illegal agent of the Iranian government, commented the US Department of Justice. Abouzar Rahmati has allegedly been conspiring with Iranian officials since 2017.

42-year-old Rahmati is a naturalized US citizen and resident of Great Falls, Virginia. Records show that he was meeting with the Iranian government from at least December 2017 through June 24 and committing acts of conspiracy with intelligence operatives, including leaking confidential U.S. solar energy information.

Rahmati previously served as a First Lieutenant for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was a part of this counterintelligence organization from June 2009 to May 2010. The IRGC was named a Foreign Terrorist Organization by US government officials in April 2019 due to its involvement in Hezbollah and Hamas attacks, killings, and arrests. The group reports only to the Supreme Leader of Iran.

The recent prosecution suggests that Rahmati struck up communications with an Iranian government official who he knew from school. Four months later, he visited Iran under the premise that he was conducting research with colleagues. In reality, however, the trip was to hand over energy data to intelligence.

Upon his return to the US, Rahmati applied for several government roles -- specifically those that would give him access to otherwise private information. This led to him being accepted as a contractor for the FAA’s National Airspace System (NAS), where he stole documents explaining the NAS's power and electrical infrastructure. These materials and more were given to Iran in 2022.

“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,” commented Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen from the DoJ National Security Division. “When undisclosed agents of Iran or any other foreign government seek to infiltrate American companies or government agencies, the Justice Department will use every available tool to identify them and bring them to justice.”

This case is under ongoing investigation by the FBI and the FAA Office of Investigations and Professional Responsibility.

FMI: www.faa.gov