The person at the center of this case
Multiple U.S. and international universities, government agencies, and private companies
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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Why did Sabahi target academic institutions specifically, and what research data was most valuable to Iranian interests?
How did the Mabna Institute distribute and monetize the stolen proprietary data from 320+ universities?
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.
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Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
Who were Sabahi's co-conspirators and accomplices in the United States and abroad?
What digital forensics evidence links Sabahi directly to the intrusion infrastructure and data exfiltration?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
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.
Unauthorized access to computer systems at U.S. and foreign universities begins
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