H1B's Showing Their Worth

From the New York Post: "Alleged Iranian spies are already in the US — and infiltrating Silicon Valley." 

    Last month, a federal grand jury indicted three Iranian software engineers for allegedly stealing trade secrets from tech companies, including Google.

    Two of the suspects are sisters, Samaneh Ghandali, 41, and Sorvoor Ghandali, 32. They were charged alongside Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40, who is Samaneh’s husband, with allegedly using their employment at unidentified technology companies to “obtain access to confidential and sensitive information,” according to the Department of Justice.    

    The tech workers then allegedly “exfiltrated confidential and sensitive documents, including trade secrets related to processor security and cryptography and other technologies, from Google and other technology companies.” 

    They are then accused of transferring the confidential data to other locations, including Iran, according to the indictment. They have all pleaded not guilty.

The sisters' father was a high ranking official in the Iranian regime. On this point:

    Opponents of the Iranian regime in the US say that the family connections could have facilitated the alleged spying.

    “The issue is risk, access, and vulnerability,” said Iranian human rights activist Lawdan Bazargan, who heads the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists.

    “When individuals connected to powerful networks in an authoritarian system enter universities and research centers, they gain access not only to advanced technology but also to professional networks and institutional trust. In certain cases … access can be abused.”

No kidding!