Former Google engineers accused of stealing sensitive tech secrets and sending them to Iran

Three Silicon Valley engineers, including two former Google employees, have been charged with stealing trade secrets from leading tech companies and transferring them to Iran.

Samaneh Ghandali, 41, her sister Soroor Ghandali, 32, and Samaneh’s husband Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40, are accused of stealing sensitive trade secrets and trying to cover their tracks when their scheme was discovered.

All three are residents of San Jose and were arrested on February 19th. They appeared at the federal court the same day, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

The two sisters are both former Google employees who then worked for an unnamed technology company. The husband, who prosecutors said previously served in the Iranian army, worked for a different, also unnamed company.

All defendants are Iranian nationals, according to the indictment, while Samaneh is also an American citizen.

All three worked in the field of mobile computer processors and used their positions to exfiltrate hundreds of confidential files, including data related to processor security and cryptography, according to prosecutors.

The stolen files were then transferred to unauthorized locations, including those in Iran, through a third-party communication platform.

Google said in a statement to Cybernews that it discovered a breach during routine security monitoring and referred the case to law enforcement after investigating.

“We have enhanced safeguards to protect our confidential information and immediately alerted law enforcement after discovering this incident,” said spokesperson José Castañeda, adding that the indictments were “an important step towards accountability.”

Google said it has safeguards against insider threats, including restricted access to sensitive data, two-factor authentication, and monitoring employee activity such as file transfers to platforms like Telegram.

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Prosecutors said that the defendants took deliberate steps to avoid detection and conceal their activities, including false affidavits when flagged by Google, deleting files, and manually photographing information.

“The alleged actions outlined in this indictment reflect a calculated betrayal of trust by individuals accused of stealing trade secrets from the very tech companies that employed them,” said Sanjay Virmani, an FBI special agent in charge.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison for trade secret theft charges and up to 20 years for obstruction of justice, as well as fines of $250,000 per count.

Cybersecurity experts have been warning that insider threats, including those linked to state actors, are escalating across industries.

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