Silicon Valley engineers charged with stealing Google trade secrets and transferring them to Iran

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Three Silicon Valley engineers were arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets from Google and other U.S. technology firms 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 trade secret theft, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice.

“We have enhanced safeguards to protect our confidential information and immediately alerted law enforcement after discovering this incident,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement to FOX Business. “Today’s indictments are an important step towards accountability and we’ll continue working to ensure our trade secrets remain secure.”

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Three Silicon Valley engineers were charged with stealing Google trade secrets and transferring sensitive data to unauthorized locations, including Iran, federal prosecutors said. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The defendants gained employment 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 technology 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 the defendants used their positions to access 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 third-party 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 ill.”

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Federal prosecutors allege former Google employees conspired to steal confidential company information and send it overseas. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The indictment alleges that while working at Google, Samaneh Ghandali transferred hundreds of files, including company trade secrets, to a third-party communications platform. Soroor Ghandali is also accused of transferring Google trade secret files while employed at the company.

Prosecutors allege the defendants attempted to conceal their actions by submitting “false, signed affidavits to victim technology companies about the conduct and the stolen trade secrets, destroying exfiltrated files and other records from electronic devices, and concealing the methods of exfiltration to avoid detection by the victim technology companies.”

According to a Google spokesperson, the company discovered the alleged theft through routine security monitoring and referred the case to law enforcement after conducting its own internal investigation.

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A federal grand jury indicted three engineers in an alleged scheme involving Google trade secrets, the Department of Justice said. (Rolf Vennenbernd/ via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Google said it maintains robust security measures 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 logs employee activity on its network, including file transfers to third-party platforms such as Telegram. The company began blocking uploads to Telegram from corporate laptops last year.

The indictment states that Google took “numerous measures to safeguard its confidential technology, information, and trade secrets.”

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Prosecutors said Google secured its physical space and restricted access to its buildings, along with its computer systems and network.

According to the indictment, Samaneh Ghandali is an Iranian national who became a U.S. citizen around 2018, Mohammadjavad Khosravi is an Iranian national who became a U.S. legal permanent resident around 2019, and Soroor Ghandali was in the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa.