The person at the center of this case
Multiple U.S. and international universities, government agencies, and private companies
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018
ABDOLLAH KARIMA
Justice for Multiple U.S. and international universities, government agencies, and private companies — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
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suspect
Lead #1How did Karima coordinate with the Mabna Institute and Iranian government entities to identify and target specific universities and research institutions?
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evidence
Lead #2What proprietary data and research was most valuable to Iranian customers, and how was it monetized or weaponized?
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location
Lead #3What infrastructure in Iran supported the data exfiltration and sales operations?
Abdollah Karima is wanted for his role in a sophisticated cyber espionage scheme that targeted 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, and numerous government agencies and private companies to steal proprietary data and sell it to Iranian entities. Working with the Mabna Institute, a contractor for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Karima and his associates obtained unauthorized access to computer systems and exfiltrated sensitive research and information. He remains at large in Iran, and locating him requires international cooperation and continued vigilance from cybersecurity and law enforcement communities.
Case
#1076
Iran
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; Federal Bureau of Investigation
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
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contact
Lead #4Who are the other associates and co-conspirators involved in this scheme who may still be operating?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft Caution: Abdollah Karima is wanted for his alleged involvement in criminal activities, including obtaining unauthorized access to computer systems, stealing proprietary data from those systems, and selling that stolen data to Iranian customers such as Iranian universities and the Iranian government. Karima was an associate of the Mabna Institute , a private government contractor based in the Islamic Republic of Iran that performed this work for the Iranian government, at the behest of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Victims of the scheme included approximately 144 universities in the United States, 176 foreign universities in 21 countries, five federal and state government agencies in the United States, 36 private companies in the United States, 11 foreign private companies, and two international non-governmental organizations. On February 7, 2018, a grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Karima on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Remarks: Karima is known to speak Farsi and resides in Iran.
Timeline of Events
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2018-02-07
Federal Indictment Issued
A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Abdollah Karima on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges; federal arrest warrant issued.
Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:June 15, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:June 15, 2026