Man arrested for allegedly selling U.S. equipment to Iran and violating sanctions

Added: 2026-06-07

[00:00:00]The Justice Department says it arrested a US-Iranian national for allegedly selling American equipment to help Iran's military and nuclear program.

[00:00:09]Jamshid Gomi is the CEO [music] of a Tehran-based tech company and prosecutors say he earned millions of dollars illegally. We've got CBS News Homeland Security correspondent Nicole Skang here with us as you've been looking into this case. Nicole, good morning. What tell us more about this case? It sounds like something incredible.

[00:00:29]>> Yeah, it is a really fascinating case, Errol, and the Justice Department alleges that this was more than a decade-long scheme. Prosecutors actually saying the tech CEO bypassed critical US sanction laws to route advanced American hardware directly to entities that are linked to foreign and military and nuclear infrastructure.

[00:00:52]>> Early Wednesday morning, federal agents arrested Jamshid Gomi at his multimillion-dollar mansion. New video captured by the California Post shows federal agents escorting the cuffed 63-year-old.

[00:01:07]He faces charges of violating US sanctions against Iran. Federal prosecutors say the dual US-Iranian citizen smuggled sophisticated US networking, security, and encryption equipment to Iran's military and nuclear sectors. According to the complaint from 2009 to 2023, Gomi, whose company is based in Tehran, used PayPal and eBay accounts to make hundreds of purchases of networking equipment, routing it through UAE front companies and onto his company in Iran. Prosecutors also allege Gomi directed his co-conspirators to keep his name off shipping paperwork and hide the equipment in larger shipments.

[00:01:49]Keyon Meskat is an attorney specializing in economic sanctions.

[00:01:53]>> And he knew exactly what he was doing and it wasn't a very sophisticated program so that he that he had set up.

[00:02:01]>> According to the complaint, none of the items could lawfully be exported to Iran without a license from the federal government, something Ghomi didn't have.

[00:02:10]>> What's interesting about this case did involve Iran's nuclear and defense institutions which has been the top priority for the US government in the whole scope of its economic sanctions against Iran.

[00:02:24]>> Now, Ghomi is also accused of laundering more than $15 million into the US, falsely reporting it as a foreign inheritance. We've reached out to his attorney, have not yet heard back and if convicted, Errol, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

[00:02:40]>> Incredible case, Nicole. Thank you.

[00:02:42]>> Thank you.