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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, 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
#1043
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; Federal Bureau of Investigation
Cold Case ยท Open
8 years waiting ยท since 2018

SEYED ALI MIRKARIMI

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 โ€” the trail went cold in 2018, but the truth hasn't.

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Key leads to think about

๐ŸŽฏ
suspect
Lead #1

What is Mirkarimi's current location and operational status within Iran?

๐Ÿ”
evidence
Lead #2

How much stolen data was successfully sold to Iranian government entities and universities?

๐Ÿ“ž
contact
Lead #3

Who are the other members of the conspiracy still at large or cooperating with authorities?

Seyed Ali Mirkarimi is wanted for his role in a sophisticated cyber espionage scheme that targeted over 144 U.S. universities, government agencies, and private companies to steal proprietary data and sell it to Iranian entities. Operating as a contractor for the Mabna Institute, a private Iranian government contractor, Mirkarimi and his associates gained unauthorized access to computer systems and exfiltrated sensitive information at the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He remains at large in Iran, and locating him requires international cooperation to hold him accountable for wire fraud, computer intrusion, and identity theft charges.

Case
#1043
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; Federal Bureau of Investigation

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More leads to consider

Beyond the top three above โ€” each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.

๐Ÿ’ก
clue
Lead #4

What specific proprietary information from U.S. universities and government agencies was most valuable to Iranian interests?

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: Seyed Ali Mirkarimi 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. Mirkarimi 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 Mirkarimi on computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges, and a federal arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.

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

Timeline of Events

๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ
2018-02-07

Federal Indictment

Grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York indicted Mirkarimi 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:October 30, 2026

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Case Information

Incident:February 7, 2018
Last Updated:October 30, 2026