The person at the center of this case
Sajjad Tahmasebi (Fugitive)
Justice for Sajjad Tahmasebi (Fugitive) — the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.
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How did Tahmasebi gain initial access to 144 U.S. university systems and what specific credentials or vulnerabilities did he exploit?
What proprietary data and research materials were stolen and sold to Iranian institutions, and what is the national security impact?
Who are the other members of the conspiracy at the Mabna Institute and what roles did they play in the cyber-espionage operation?
Sajjad Tahmasebi is a contractor for Iran's Mabna Institute wanted for orchestrating a massive cyber-espionage scheme that targeted 144 U.S. universities, 176 foreign universities, five U.S. government agencies, and dozens of private companies to steal proprietary data. The stolen information was sold to Iranian customers including universities and the Iranian government at the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tahmasebi remains at large in Iran, and locating him requires international cooperation and intelligence sharing to prevent further cyber theft targeting critical American institutions.
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Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
What is Tahmasebi's current location and network within Iran, and does he maintain any international communications or financial accounts?
Were there any patterns in the timing or targeting of institutions that could reveal Tahmasebi's operational methodology or priorities?
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: 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.
Grand jury 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; federal arrest warrant issued