Former FAA contractor pleads guilty to spying for Iran, sharing private info on US airports, energy industry

A naturalized U.S. national surviving successful Great Falls, Virginia, pleaded blameworthy connected Wednesday to moving with Iranian authorities and quality officials connected their behalf successful the U.S. arsenic a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) betwixt 2017 and 2024.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said 42-year-old Abouzar Rahmati pleaded blameworthy successful national tribunal to conspiring to enactment and acting arsenic an cause of the Iranian authorities successful the U.S. without anterior notification to the Attorney General.

Rahmati antecedently was an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 1st Lt., a subdivision of the Iranian Armed Forces, from June 2009 to May 2010. The IRGC is simply a designated violent radical by the U.S. government.

Court documents amusement that from astatine slightest December 2017 done June 2024, Rahmati worked with Iranian quality operatives and authorities officials connected their behalf successful the U.S.

VIRGINIA FAA CONTRACTOR ALLEGEDLY SPIED FOR IRAN, SHARED PRIVATE INFO ON US AIRPORTS, ENERGY INDUSTRY: DOJ

Abouzar Rahmati has been indicted for acting arsenic an cause of the Iranian government. (U.S. Department of Justice)

During that period, Rahmati met with Iranian quality successful Iran, communicated with Iranian authorities utilizing a screen communicative to fell his conduct, obtained employment with an FAA contractor with entree to sensitive, non-public accusation astir the U.S. aviation sector, and obtained and provided open-source and non-public materials astir the star vigor manufacture successful the U.S. to quality officers.

The DOJ said Rahmati offered his services to Iran successful August 2017 done a erstwhile workfellow who was a elder Iranian authorities authoritative who antecedently worked astatine the country’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

Rahmati traveled to Iran 4 months aboriginal and met with quality operatives and authorities officials, the DOJ said. He besides agreed to stitchery and supply Iranian officials with accusation astir the star manufacture successful the U.S.

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When helium returned to the U.S. successful aboriginal 2018, Rahmati obtained backstage and open-source materials related to the U.S. star industry, past provided them to the bureau of Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology.

While moving arsenic an FAA contractor successful the U.S., Rahmati downloaded astatine slightest 175 GB of files, including delicate access-controlled FAA documents relating to the National Aerospace System (NAS), NAS Airport Surveillance Radar systems and vigor frequence data, the DOJ said.

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A naturalized U.S. national surviving successful Great Falls, Virginia, pleaded blameworthy connected Wednesday to moving with Iranian authorities and quality officials connected their behalf successful the U.S. arsenic a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Rahmati stored the files connected removable media, which helium took to Iran successful April 2022 and provided to authorities officials, according to the DOJ.

He besides provided further accusation astir star energy, star panels, the FAA, U.S. airports, and U.S. aerial postulation power towers to his member surviving successful Iran successful April 2022, the DOJ added, truthful his member could supply the files to quality officials connected Rahmati’s behalf.

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Rahmati is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Aug. 26, and helium faces a maximum of 10 years successful situation for acting arsenic an cause of a overseas government, and up to 5 years successful situation for conspiracy.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.