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Multiple U.S. and international universities, government agencies, and private companies

The person at the center of this case

Multiple U.S. and international universities, government agencies, and private companies

Case
#1176
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States and international targets
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; FBI
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018

MOHAMMED REZA SABAHI

Justice for Multiple U.S. and international universities, government agencies, and private companies — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.

Start here

Key leads to think about

🎯
suspect
Lead #1

What is Sabahi's current location and operational status within Iran?

🔍
evidence
Lead #2

How much proprietary data was successfully exfiltrated and what was its strategic value to Iranian interests?

👤
person
Lead #3

Who were Sabahi's co-conspirators at the Mabna Institute and have they been identified or apprehended?

Mohammed Reza Sabahi is a contractor for Iran's Mabna Institute wanted for orchestrating a massive cyber espionage scheme that targeted 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, and numerous government agencies and private companies to steal proprietary data for the Iranian government and Revolutionary Guard Corps. Between 2013 and 2018, Sabahi and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to computer systems, exfiltrated sensitive research and intellectual property, and sold the stolen information to Iranian customers. He remains at large in Iran, speaking Farsi, and a federal arrest warrant has been outstanding since his February 2018 indictment in the Southern District of New York.

Case
#1176
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States and international targets
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; FBI

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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.

💡
clue
Lead #4

What specific research and intellectual property from U.S. universities were targeted and why?

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: Mohammed Reza Sabahi 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. Sabahi was a contractor for 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 Sabahi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Remarks: Sabahi is known to speak Farsi and resides in Iran.

Timeline of Events

🕵️
2013

Cyber espionage campaign begins

Unauthorized access to computer systems at U.S. and foreign universities begins

🕵️
2018-02-07

Federal indictment

Grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York indicts Sabahi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges

Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2013
Last Updated:September 11, 2026

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Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2013
Last Updated:September 11, 2026