Former FAA Contractor Who Leaked Sensitive Information To Iran Sentenced

WASHINGTON, DC — A 43-year-old Great Falls man who pleaded guilty in April to acting as an illegal agent of the Iranian government in the U.S. was sentenced Monday in federal court to 12 months in prison, according to court records.

From at least December 2017 through June 2024, Abouzar Rahmati worked with Iranian government officials and intelligence operatives, acting on their behalf in the U.S., according to court documents.

On April 16, Rahmati, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, admitted to obtaining employment with an FAA contractor with access to sensitive non-public information about the aviation sector, according to court documents. He also obtained open-source and non-public material about the U.S. solar energy industry, which he gave to Iranian intelligence officers.

“By secretly doing the bidding of the Iranian government, Mr. Rahmati violated the trust placed in him as a U.S. citizen and as a federal contractor with access to sensitive information,” said U.S. Attorney Ferris Pirro on Monday. “Ensuring that sensitive U.S. information does not fall into the hands of hostile foreign intelligence services remains one of our highest priorities.”

U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan also ordered Rahmati to serve three years of supervised release, court records say.

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“Rahmati exploited his trusted position to obtain sensitive information about the U.S. aviation sector and share it with the Iranian government, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Wierzbicki, on Monday. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to disrupt threats to U.S. critical infrastructure, especially those emanating from the nefarious activities of Iranian intelligence officers who seek to harm our nation.”