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

Case
#988
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States (multiple locations); Iran
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; FBI
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018

ROOZBEH SABAHI

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, 2 international NGOs — 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 in Iran?

🔍
evidence
Lead #2

How was the stolen data organized, stored, and transferred to Iranian customers?

👤
person
Lead #3

Who were Sabahi's co-conspirators at the Mabna Institute and in Iranian government entities?

Roozbeh Sabahi, an Iranian contractor for the Mabna Institute, is wanted for orchestrating a massive cyber espionage scheme that compromised approximately 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, and numerous government agencies and private companies between 2015 and 2018. The conspiracy involved unauthorized access to computer systems, theft of proprietary research data, and sale of that data to Iranian government entities and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Sabahi remains at large in Iran, and investigators seek information about his current whereabouts and potential accomplices in this ongoing international cybercrime case.

Case
#988
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States (multiple locations); Iran
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 data was targeted and why were certain universities and agencies prioritized?

📞
contact
Lead #5

Are there known associates or handlers within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who directed this operation?

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: Roozbeh 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 intrusion campaign begins

Unauthorized access to computer systems at universities and government agencies begins as part of coordinated scheme

🕵️
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

Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2015
Last Updated:June 16, 2026

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Case Information

Incident:January 1, 2015
Last Updated:June 16, 2026