Three Engineers from Silicon Valley Face Charges Over Google Trade Secrets Theft
Federal prosecutors made a public announcement on Thursday regarding the arrest and indictment of three Silicon Valley engineers. These individuals stand accused of stealing trade secrets from Google and other major technology companies, and transferring sensitive data to Iran.
Samaneh Ghandali (41), her sister Soroor Ghandali (32), and Mohammadjavad Khosravi (40)—all residents of San Jose—are facing charges. These charges include conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. The defendants, identified as Iranian nationals, allegedly exploited their positions at leading tech firms to obtain confidential files. These files related to:
- Processor security
- Cryptography
- Mobile chip technology including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon system-on-chip platforms
As per the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the defendants routed stolen files through third-party communications platforms. They then copied the material to personal devices and sent data to Iran. The scheme allegedly included photographing computer screens to evade digital monitoring tools.
Google detected the theft through routine monitoring and immediately alerted law enforcement. FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani stated that the data transfers “involved deliberate steps to evade detection and conceal their identities.” If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison for each trade secret charge and up to 20 years for obstruction of justice.