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, and 2 international NGOs
Cold Case · Open
8 years waiting · since 2018
SAJJAD TAHMASEBI
Justice for Multiple institutions: 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, 5 U.S. government agencies, 36 U.S. private companies, 11 foreign companies, and 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 Tahmasebi remained uncaptured in Iran despite the 2018 indictment, and what diplomatic efforts have been made to secure his extradition?
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evidence
Lead #2What specific proprietary data was stolen and sold, and how has the theft impacted the targeted institutions and national security?
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person
Lead #3What other members of the Mabna Institute conspiracy have been identified, arrested, or remain at large?
Sajjad Tahmasebi is wanted by the FBI for his alleged role in a sophisticated cyber espionage scheme that targeted over 320 universities, government agencies, and private companies across the United States and 21 foreign countries. Operating as a contractor for Iran's Mabna Institute, Tahmasebi allegedly orchestrated unauthorized access to computer systems and sold stolen proprietary data to Iranian customers including the Iranian government and Revolutionary Guard Corps. He remains at large, believed to be residing in Iran, with a federal arrest warrant issued in February 2018.
Case
#823
United States and 21 foreign countries
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
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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.
📍
location
Lead #4How did Tahmasebi and his associates gain initial access to such a large number of geographically dispersed computer systems?
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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: Sajjad Tahmasebi 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. Tahmasebi 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 Tahmasebi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Remarks: Tahmasebi is known to speak Farsi and resides in Iran.
Timeline of Events
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2018-02-07
Federal Indictment Issued
Grand jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Sajjad Tahmasebi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges; federal arrest warrant issued
Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:October 29, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:October 29, 2026