Former FAA contractor pleads guilty to spying for Iran, sharing private info on US airports, energy industry

A naturalized US national surviving in Great Falls, Virginia, pleaded blameworthy connected Wednesday to moving pinch Iranian authorities and intelligence officials connected their behalf successful nan US arsenic a contractor for nan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) betwixt 2017 and 2024.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said 42-year-old Abouzar Rahmati pleaded blameworthy successful national tribunal to colluding to enactment and acting arsenic an supplier of nan Iranian authorities successful nan US without anterior notification to nan Attorney General.

Rahmati antecedently was an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 1st Lt., a branch of nan Iranian Armed Forces, from June 2009 to May 2010.

The IRGC is simply a designated violent group by nan US government.

Court documents show that from astatine slightest December 2017 done June 2024, Rahmati worked pinch Iranian intelligence operatives and authorities officials connected their behalf successful nan US.

During that period, Rahmati met pinch Iranian intelligence successful Iran, communicated pinch Iranian authorities utilizing a screen communicative to hide his conduct, obtained employment pinch an FAA contractor pinch entree to sensitive, non-public accusation astir nan US aviation sector, and obtained and provided open-source and non-public materials astir nan star power manufacture successful nan US to intelligence officers.

The DOJ said Rahmati offered his services to Iran successful August 2017 done a erstwhile workfellow who was a elder Iranian authorities charismatic who antecedently worked astatine nan country’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

Rahmati traveled to Iran four months later and met pinch intelligence operatives and authorities officials, nan DOJ said.

He besides agreed to stitchery and supply Iranian officials pinch accusation astir nan star manufacture successful nan US.

When he returned to nan US successful early 2018, Rahmati obtained backstage and open-source materials related to the US star industry, then provided them to nan agency of Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology.

While moving arsenic an FAA contractor successful nan US, Rahmati downloaded astatine slightest 175 GB of files, including delicate access-controlled FAA documents relating to nan National Aerospace System (NAS), NAS Airport Surveillance Radar systems and power wave data, nan DOJ said.

Rahmati stored nan files connected removable media, which he took to Iran successful April 2022 and provided to authorities officials, according to nan DOJ.

He besides provided further accusation astir star energy, star panels, nan FAA, US airports, and US aerial postulation power towers to his relative surviving successful Iran successful April 2022, nan DOJ added, truthful his relative could supply nan files to intelligence officials connected Rahmati’s behalf.

Rahmati is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Aug. 26, and he faces a maximum of 10 years successful situation for acting arsenic an supplier of a overseas government, and up to 5 years successful situation for conspiracy.