USA v. Heidarian, Hooman, et al.
Newark, NJ

Iran

Two Iranian nationals were charged in connection with a coordinated cyber intrusion campaign – sometimes at the behest of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) – targeting computers in New Jersey, elsewhere in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Hooman Heidarian, a/k/a "neo" and Mehdi Farhadi, a/k/a "Mehdi Mahdavi" and "Mohammad Mehdi Farhadi Ramin" both of Hamedan, Iran, stole hundreds of terabytes of data, which typically included confidential communications pertaining to national security, foreign policy intelligence, non-military nuclear information, aerospace data, human rights activist information, victim financial information and personally identifiable information, and intellectual property, including unpublished scientific research. In some instances, the defendants' hacks were politically motivated or at the behest of Iran, including instances where they obtained information regarding dissidents, human rights activists, and opposition leaders. In other instances, the defendants sold the hacked data and information on the black market for private financial gain.