A Massachusetts man was found guilty Monday of conspiring to unlawfully export electronic components to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n
Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, who worked at the global electronics company Analog Devices, was accused of helping an Iranian business associate get around American export control laws.<\/p>\n
U.S. prosecutors say the business associate\u2019s Tehran-based company makes navigation systems for the military drone program of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard. Authorities say the scheme included the creation of a front company in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
The second defendant, Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, called Abedini in court documents, was not on trial. He is believed to be in Iran after an apparent prisoner exchange for an Italian journalist.<\/p>\n
Sadeghi was found guilty on three of the five charges. He showed no visible reaction to the verdict, which came early in the fourth day of jury deliberations. He and his lawyers did not comment as they left court, and he will remain free until sentencing Oct. 13.<\/p>\n
Sadeghi, a 43-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, chose not to testify. A father of two, he lost his job at Analog Devices due to the charges. Although he was arrested in December 2024, long before the current war with Iran, his trial has unfolded during the conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt its core, this case is straightforward. You cannot send goods, especially the goods at issue in this case, to Iran. Period. Full stop,\u201d Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter told the jury. \u201cThe defendant knew that, and conspired with Mr. Abedini to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dolan, in his closing remarks, said documents, text messages and photos proved that the illegal acts were the \u201cfruits of this relationship\u201d between Sadeghi and Abedini.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evidence established that he knew what Abedini was doing because he told him in writing,\u201d Dolan said. \u201cHe helped him anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sadeghi\u2019s attorney, William Fick, told jurors that the scheme laid out by the prosecution \u201cmakes no sense\u201d and was full of holes. He said Sadeghi was only offering advice to a longtime friend about how to get business with the semiconductor company, and wasn\u2019t responsible for procuring the parts for Abedini.<\/p>\n
Fick said there was no proof the parts ended up in Iran, and he disputed that the Swiss company was a front.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at the world through dirty glasses, everything looks dirty,\u201d Fick said. \u201cThat is fundamentally what the prosecution is asking you to do here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fick also said prosecutors hadn\u2019t shown Sadeghi gained anything from the alleged plan \u2014 although the prosecution pointed out that they didn\u2019t need to prove a motive.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had nothing to gain and everything to lose,\u201d Fick said. \u201cHe has lived in the country for decades. He was a well-regarded, respected employee on his way up in the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prosecutors had hoped to introduce evidence during the trial related to an Iranian drone used in a 2024 attack that killed three U.S. troops at a remote base in Jordan.<\/p>\n
However, before the trial, defense attorneys sought to exclude any evidence related to Abedini\u2019s role in drone manufacturing or attacks on American troops.<\/p>\n
The judge agreed, ruling that prosecutors could only give general evidence about Abedini\u2019s Iranian company and how its technology had potential military applications, including for drones.<\/p>\n
During a hearing in February, prosecutors acknowledged they didn\u2019t have evidence that Sadeghi \u201cknew anything\u201d about the technology he was accused of exporting was allegedly used on the drone involved in the Jordan attack.<\/p>\n
Both defendants have been charged with export control violations. Abedini is separately charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization that resulted in the deaths of three service members.<\/p>\n
Abedini was arrested at an airport in Italy on a U.S. warrant in December 2024, but was released a month later and returned to Iran. Three days after his arrest, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained while reporting in Iran. Sala, who was believed held as a bargaining chip for Abedini\u2019s release, returned home in January 2025.<\/p>\n
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