Silicon Valley Engineers Indicted for Stealing Google Trade Secrets and Sending Data to Iran

Three Silicon Valley engineers face federal charges for stealing trade secrets from Google and other tech firms. They allegedly sent sensitive processor data to Iran. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern California unsealed the indictment on February 19, 2026. Samaneh Ghandali, Mohammadjavad Khosravi, and Soroor Ghandali appeared in San Jose federal court.

The sisters Samaneh and Soroor worked at Google on mobile processors. Samaneh later moved to another firm. Her husband Khosravi held a job at a third company. They stole hundreds of files on security, encryption, and cryptography. Data moved to personal channels and devices. Some photos of screens bypassed digital logs.

Google flagged odd activity in August 2023. It cut Samaneh’s access. The trio signed false affidavits. They searched ways to delete evidence. In December 2023, before Iran travel, Samaneh photographed Khosravi’s work screens. Images accessed from Iran later. Company 2’s Snapdragon SoC details leaked too.

Prosecutors call it a betrayal. Trade secrets give economic edge. FBI led the probe. Charges include conspiracy, theft, and obstruction. Max penalties reach 10 years per theft count, 20 for obstruction.

FBI statement: “Intentional actions to avoid detection and hide identities.”

Defendants Table

Name	Age	Role/Relation	Companies Involved
Samaneh Ghandali	41	Ex-Google, lead accused	Google, Company 2
Mohammadjavad Khosravi	40	Husband, Company 3 engineer	Company 3 (Snapdragon)
Soroor Ghandali	32	Sister, ex-Google	Google, Company 3

All San Jose residents, Iranian nationals.

Charges Breakdown

Charge	Statute	Max Penalty
Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets	18 U.S.C. § 1832	10 years/$250k
Theft/Attempted Theft of Secrets	18 U.S.C. § 1832	10 years/$250k
Obstruction of Justice	18 U.S.C. § 1512	20 years/$250k

Total 14 felony counts.

Exfiltration Methods

Attackers used low-tech tricks:

• Third-party chat channels named after defendants.
• Copy to personal/company devices.
• Screen photography to dodge DLP.
• Post-access denial in affidavits.

Searches for “delete mobile records” found on laptops.

Timeline of Events

• August 2023: Google revokes Samaneh’s access.
• Dec 2023: Screen photos taken before Iran trip.
• Feb 19, 2026: Arrests and indictment unsealed.
• Next court: February 20, 2026, Magistrate Susan van Keulen.

Data accessed from Iran post-travel.

Investigation Leads

FBI San Francisco Field Office with National Security Prosecutions. Digital forensics tied devices. Screen images proved Iran link. Snapdragon architecture value confirmed.

Tech firms unnamed as “Company 2/3” in docs.

Broader Implications

Chip secrets fuel rivals. Pixel Tensor and Snapdragon details aid foreign firms. Espionage cases rise in AI/hardware. DOJ pushes economic security.

Ex-employees sign NDAs. DLP misses analog theft.

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