Overview

• Abouzar Rahmati, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former FAA contractor, pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of the Iranian government and conspiracy charges.
• Rahmati exploited his FAA employment to smuggle 172 GB of sensitive aviation data, including airport surveillance and radio frequency information, to Iran in 2022.
• His espionage activities began in 2017, when he offered his services to Iranian intelligence, later providing both open-source and non-public U.S. solar energy industry data.
• The FBI, with assistance from the FAA’s Office of Counterintelligence, uncovered Rahmati’s covert operations, leading to his indictment in September 2024.
• Rahmati faces up to 10 years in prison for acting as a foreign agent and up to five years for conspiracy, with sentencing scheduled for August 26, 2025.