SAN JOSE – A federal grand jury has indicted three Silicon Valley engineers on charges of conspiring to commit trade secret theft from Google and other leading technology companies, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. Samaneh Ghandali, 41, Mohammadjavad Khosravi aka Mohammad Khosravi, 40, and Soroor Ghandali, 32, all of San Jose, were arrested today and made their initial appearances in federal district court in San Jose this afternoon.
According to the indictment filed yesterday and unsealed today, the defendants gained employment at leading technology companies in the area of mobile computer processors. Samaneh Ghandali and Soroor Ghandali, who are sisters, worked at Google before going on to work for another technology company identified as Company 3, and Khosravi, who is married to Samaneh Ghandali, worked at a technology company identified as Company 2.
As part of the alleged scheme to commit trade secret theft, the defendants used their employment to obtain access to confidential and sensitive information. The defendants then exfiltrated confidential and sensitive documents, including trade secrets related to processor security and cryptography and other technologies, from Google and other technology companies to unauthorized third-party and personal locations, including to work devices associated with each other’s employers, and to Iran.
“As alleged, the defendants exploited their positions to steal confidential trade secrets from their employers. Our office will continue to lead the way in protecting American innovation and we will vigorously prosecute individuals who steal sensitive advanced technologies for improper gain or to benefit countries that wish us ill,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.
“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. “Protecting Silicon Valley innovation and defending the groundbreaking technologies that drive our economy and national security is a top priority for the FBI. We will continue to work with our private sector partners to hold accountable anyone who seeks to unlawfully exploit American ingenuity,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.
The indictment describes that while employed at Google, Samaneh Ghandali transferred hundreds of files, including Google trade secrets, to a third-party communications platform, specifically to channels bearing each of the defendants’ first names. Soroor Ghandali likewise is alleged to have transferred numerous Google files, including trade secrets, to these channels while employed by Google. These Google trade secrets were later copied to various personal devices and Khosravi’s Company 2 work device, as well as Soroor Ghandali’s Company 3 work device.
According to the indictment, the defendants hid their actions by submitting false, signed affidavits to victim technology companies about the conduct and the stolen trade secrets; destroying exfiltrated files and other records from electronic devices; and concealing the methods of exfiltration to avoid detection by the victim technology companies (for example, manually photographing screens containing the documents’ contents instead of exfiltrating complete documents using a third-party communications platform).
After Google’s internal security systems detected Samaneh Ghandali’s activity and Google revoked her access to company resources in August 2023, Samaneh Ghandali allegedly executed a signed affidavit claiming she had not shared Google’s confidential information with anyone outside the company. She and Khosravi then began conducting searches and visiting websites about deleting communications and other data, including how long a cell phone provider kept “messages to print out for court.” The couple continued accessing Google trade secrets that were stored on their personal devices and began manually photographing hundreds of computer screens of Google’s and Company 2’s confidential information over the course of months.
On the night before Samaneh Ghandali and Khosravi traveled to Iran in December 2023, Samaneh Ghandali allegedly manually captured with her mobile phone approximately 24 photographs of Khosravi’s work computer screen containing Company 2 trade secret information. While in Iran, a personal device associated with Samaneh Ghandali accessed these photographs, and Khosravi accessed other Company 2 trade secret information.
The defendants are next scheduled to appear in district court on Feb. 20, 2026, for identification of counsel before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1832(a)(5) and theft and attempted theft of trade secrets in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1832(a)(1), (2), (3), and (4), and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of obstruction of official proceedings in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(1). Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.