FAA Contractor Accused of Spying for Iran
Federal prosecutors say Abouzar Rahmati, a contractor working for the FAA, passed sensitive information to Iran, communicating with them secretly and hiding his conversations with them. Photo credit: ResearchGate.
Between December 2017 and June 2024, Rahmati conspired with the Iranian government and intelligence services, according to an indictment obtained by The Daily Muck. On their behalf, he allegedly met with Iranian intelligence officers in Iran and communicated with co-conspirators using a cover story.
A Past That Set Him Up for Espionage
Before his employment as a contractor for the FAA, Rahmati served as a first lieutenant in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran. Prosecutors say he lied about his past with the IRGC to get a sensitive job as a U.S. government subcontractor.
In December 2017, Rahmati traveled to Iran, where prosecutors say he met with Iranian intelligence operatives and government officials, according to prosecutors. They say he agreed to obtain information about the U. S. solar energy industry and provide it to them.
Rahmati served as an instructor and a research assistant for the University of Alabama in Huntsville from August 2011 to March 2014, according to his ResearchGate profile.
Anatomy of an Alleged Spy
He applied for positions in private companies and government entities that would grant him access to sensitive information, prosecutors say. Finally, one of them did. Rahmati got to work.
In April 2022, he allegedly took all the data he downloaded to Iran, where he provided the documents to the Iranian government.
Other Recent Spy Cases
The U.S. government charged former Congressman Henry Cuellar with acting as a foreign agent in April. Prosecutors say he used his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan and to pressure U.S. Executive Branch officials to influence federal regulation of the financial industry to benefit the Mexican bank.
Also, two Los Angeles residents were arrested for acting as foreign agents of China without registering and bribing a public official in July, as previously covered by The Daily Muck. The men pleaded guilty.
Comments About the Rahmati
“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Iranian officials and intelligence operatives, even lying to obtain employment as a U.S. government contractor only to share sensitive government materials with Iran then,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s 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 defendant is charged with infiltrating a U.S. agency with the intent of providing Iran with sensitive information vital to our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Thanks to the great work of the FBI and the FAA’s investigators, this defendant was stopped in his tracks and a known adversary’s plot was exposed.”
“This indictment describes the reprehensible actions of an individual who allegedly betrayed his country by transferring sensitive U.S. information to a foreign power. This alleged betrayal not only undermines our national security but also puts U.S. jobs and livelihoods at risk,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “We will not tolerate any actions compromising U.S.-based sensitive information and are committed to ensuring that justice is served swiftly and decisively.”
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