The person at the center of this case
Approximately 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign companies, and 2 international NGOs
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018
GHOLAMREZA RAFATNEJAD
Justice for Approximately 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign companies, and 2 international NGOs — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1What is Rafatnejad's current location and operational status within Iran's government or private sector?
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evidence
Lead #2How much stolen academic and proprietary data remains unrecovered, and what is its current use by Iranian entities?
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clue
Lead #3Were there accomplices or co-conspirators in the Mabna Institute operation who may still be active?
Gholamreza Rafatnejad is wanted by the FBI for leading a sophisticated cyber espionage operation that targeted over 320 universities and government agencies across the United States and abroad. Working as a leader of the Mabna Institute, a private Iranian government contractor, he allegedly orchestrated the theft of proprietary research data and sold it to Iranian universities and government entities at the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Despite a federal indictment issued in February 2018, Rafatnejad remains at large in Iran, and investigators continue seeking information about his whereabouts and the full scope of stolen intellectual property.
Case
#867
Iran (residence); United States and 21 foreign countries (victim locations)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
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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.
📞
contact
Lead #4What intelligence do international cybersecurity partners possess about the scope and targets of this operation?
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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: Gholamreza Rafatnejad 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. Rafatnejad was a leader 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 Rafatnejad on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Remarks: Rafatnejad is known to speak Farsi and resides in Iran.
Timeline of Events
🕵️
2018-02-07
Federal Indictment Issued
A grand jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Rafatnejad on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges; federal arrest warrant issued
Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:October 30, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:October 30, 2026