The person at the center of this case
Multiple institutions: 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign companies, 2 international NGOs
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018
ROOZBEH SABAHI
Justice for Multiple institutions: 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign companies, 2 international NGOs — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Why has Sabahi remained uncaptured in Iran despite the 2018 indictment, and what diplomatic or extradition efforts have been pursued?
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evidence
Lead #2What specific proprietary data and research from U.S. universities and government agencies was successfully stolen and sold to Iranian entities?
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person
Lead #3Who were Sabahi's co-conspirators at the Mabna Institute, and have they also been indicted or apprehended?
Roozbeh Sabahi is wanted for his role in a sophisticated cybercrime conspiracy that targeted over 140 U.S. universities, government agencies, and private companies to steal proprietary data and research. Operating as a contractor for Iran's Mabna Institute at the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Sabahi and his co-conspirators sold stolen intellectual property to Iranian entities. Despite a federal indictment issued in February 2018, Sabahi remains at large in Iran, making his apprehension dependent on international cooperation and intelligence efforts.
Case
#988
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.
📞
contact
Lead #4How did Sabahi communicate with Iranian customers, and what financial transactions were used to complete the sales of stolen data?
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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
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2018-02-07
Federal Indictment Issued
A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Sabahi 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:September 28, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:September 28, 2026