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Three Silicon Valley engineers have been arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets from Google and other U.S. technology companies and transferring sensitive data to unauthorized locations including Iran, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Samaneh Ghandali, 41, Soroor Ghandali, 32, and Mohammadjavad Khosravi, also known as Mohammad Khosravi, 40, all of San Jose, were arrested Thursday, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
A federal grand jury indicted the engineers on charges of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice.
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Three Silicon Valley engineers have been charged with stealing trade secrets from Google and transferring sensitive data to unauthorized locations including Iran, federal prosecutors said. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The defendants got jobs at technology companies focused on mobile computer processors, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
According to prosecutors, sisters Samaneh Ghandali and Soroor Ghandali worked at Google before moving to another tech company, identified as “Company 3,” headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Khosravi, who is married to Samaneh Ghandali, worked at a separate company identified in the indictment as Company 2, headquartered in San Diego.
The DOJ alleges that the defendants used their positions to gain access to confidential and sensitive information as part of a scheme to steal trade secrets.
The defendants “exfiltrated confidential and sensitive documents, including trade secrets related to processor security and cryptography and other technologies, from Google and other technology companies to unauthorized remote and personal locations, including to work devices associated with each other’s employers, and to Iran.”
“As alleged, the defendants exploited their positions to steal confidential trade secrets from their employers,” United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian said in a statement. “Our office will continue to lead the way in protecting American innovation and we will vigorously prosecute individuals who steal sensitive advanced technologies for improper gain or to benefit countries that wish us harm.”
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Federal prosecutors allege that former Google employees conspired to steal confidential company information and send it abroad. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The indictment alleges that while working at Google, Samaneh Ghandali transferred hundreds of files, including trade secrets, to a third-party communications platform. Soroor Ghandali is also accused of transferring Google trade secrets while working at the company.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants attempted to conceal their actions by “submitting false, signed affidavits to victim technology companies regarding the victim’s conduct and stolen trade secrets, by destroying exfiltrated files and other data from electronic devices, and by concealing the methods of exfiltration to avoid detection by the victim’s technology companies.”
According to a Google spokesperson, the company discovered the alleged theft through routine security checks and referred the matter to law enforcement after conducting its own internal investigation.
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A federal grand jury has indicted three engineers in an alleged scheme involving Google trade secrets, the Justice Department said. (Rolf Vennenbernd / via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Google said it has robust security measures in place to protect its confidential information and intellectual property, including limiting employee access to sensitive data, requiring device authentication before network access and mandating two-factor authentication for work accounts.
Additionally, Google records employee activity on its network, including file transfers to third-party platforms such as Telegram. The company started blocking uploads to Telegram from company laptops last year.
The complaint states that Google has “taken numerous measures to protect its confidential technology, information and trade secrets.”
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Prosecutors said Google secured its physical space and restricted access to its buildings, as well as its computer systems and network.
According to the indictment, Samaneh Ghandali is an Iranian citizen who became a U.S. citizen around 2018, Mohammadjavad Khosravi is an Iranian citizen who became a U.S. lawful permanent resident around 2019, and Soroor Ghandali was in the United States on a non-immigrant student visa.
