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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 District Court for the Southern District of New York; Federal Bureau of Investigation
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

Why did Sabahi target academic institutions specifically, and what research data was most valuable to Iranian interests?

🔍
evidence
Lead #2

How did the Mabna Institute distribute and monetize the stolen proprietary data from 320+ universities?

📍
location
Lead #3

What is Sabahi's current location and network within Iran that has enabled him to evade international law enforcement?

Mohammed Reza Sabahi, a contractor for Iran's Mabna Institute, is wanted for orchestrating a massive cyber theft scheme targeting 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, and numerous government agencies and private companies between 2015-2018. The conspiracy involved unauthorized access to computer systems, theft of proprietary research data, and sale of that data to Iranian government entities and universities. Sabahi remains at large in Iran, and his apprehension would significantly disrupt state-sponsored cyber espionage operations against American academic and government institutions.

Case
#1176
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
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.

👤
person
Lead #4

Who were Sabahi's co-conspirators and accomplices in the United States and abroad?

💡
clue
Lead #5

What digital forensics evidence links Sabahi directly to the intrusion infrastructure and data exfiltration?

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

📋
2015

Cyber theft scheme begins

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

🕵️
2018-02-07

Federal indictment issued

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

Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case

Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2015
Last Updated:April 29, 2026

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Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2015
Last Updated:April 29, 2026