Ex-Google engineers charged with orchestrating high-tech secrets extraction
A federal grand jury has indicted three Silicon Valley engineers on charges in a scheme to steal trade secrets from Google and other leading technology companies.
The indictment charges the three defendants with conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. Each could receive up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Federal prosecutors said the three used their positions to gain access to confidential and sensitive information. They removed documents containing trade secrets related to processor security, cryptography, and other technologies from Google and other technology companies. The materials were transferred to unauthorized third-party and personal locations, including work devices linked to each other’s employers and to contacts in Iran.
To conceal their activity, the three submitted false signed affidavits to the technology companies about their conduct and the stolen trade secrets. Exfiltrated files and related records were deleted from electronic devices. The methods used to remove the data were concealed. Screens displaying document contents were manually photographed, and data was captured without transferring complete files through a third-party communications platform.
Defendants obtained positions at leading technology companies that develop mobile computer processors. Sisters Samaneh and Soroor Ghandali worked at Google before moving to another technology company. Mohammad Khosravi, who is married to Samaneh Ghandali, worked at a separate technology company in the same field.
“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. According to the allegations, the method in which confidential data was transferred by the defendants involved deliberate steps to evade detection and conceal their identities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.