CrimeOwl AI logoCrimeOwl AI
CasesBlogPricingAbout
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Cases
  4. /
  5. MOSTAFA SADEGHI
Back to CasesMore Cases
Multiple victims: 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign private companies, and 2 international NGOs

The person at the center of this case

Multiple victims: 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign private companies, and 2 international NGOs

Case
#868
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; FBI Cyber Division
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018

MOSTAFA SADEGHI

Justice for Multiple victims: 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign private companies, and 2 international NGOs — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.

Start here

Key leads to think about

🎯
suspect
Lead #1

Mostafa Sadeghi remains at large in Iran; what diplomatic or intelligence channels could facilitate his extradition or apprehension?

🔍
evidence
Lead #2

How much stolen proprietary and academic data from 320+ institutions remains in Iranian hands, and what is its ongoing intelligence or economic value?

👤
person
Lead #3

Who were Sadeghi's co-conspirators and handlers within the Mabna Institute and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps?

Mostafa Sadeghi is a wanted cybercriminal indicted in 2018 for orchestrating a massive computer hacking conspiracy that targeted over 320 universities, government agencies, and private companies across the United States and internationally. Operating as a contractor for Iran's Mabna Institute and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Sadeghi allegedly stole proprietary data and sold it to Iranian entities. Despite the federal indictment and arrest warrant, Sadeghi remains at large in Iran, making his apprehension contingent on international cooperation and extradition efforts.

Case
#868
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; FBI Cyber Division

Try asking

Claim this imported case

A one-time $10 claim transfers this imported case workspace to your account. You get 10 uploads for this case, 25 daily AI questions for this case, and public tips with files route to you.

10 uploads25 AI questions/day

This does not start a subscription. When the included limits are reached, the Personal plan unlocks more workspace capacity.

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 methods did Sadeghi use to breach such a large number of institutions, and are those vulnerabilities still exploitable?

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: Mostafa Sadeghi 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. Sadeghi was a contractor and hacker for hire 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 Sadeghi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.

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

Timeline of Events

🕵️
2018-02-07

Federal Indictment Issued

A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Sadeghi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges; federal arrest warrant issued

Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case

Case Information

Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:June 15, 2026

Leave a comment

Comments

Case Information

Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:June 15, 2026