Iranian National Living in San Fernando Valley Arrested on Federal Complaint Charging Her with Selling Weapons for Iran’s Government

LOS ANGELES - An Iranian national residing in the San Fernando Valley has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging her with selling Iranian-made weapons - drones, bombs, and millions of rounds of ammunition - to Sudan, the Justice Department announced today.

Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

She was arrested on Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport before she could board a flight departing the United States.

Mafi is expected to make her initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. No plea will be taken today.

"This individual came from Iran and gained legal status under the Obama administration," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "While enjoying a life in the United States, this woman was allegedly breaking the law by brokering lethal weapons deals with Iranian adversaries. This will not stand, and anyone who breaks our laws and threatens national security will be prosecuted to the fullest extent."

"As Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear, the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute violations of U.S. sanctions that target foreign adversaries such as the government of Iran," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "This defendant took advantage of our open immigration system to live freely in Los Angeles while simultaneously working to traffic arms on behalf of a country that seeks to destroy us. Not on our watch. We look forward to securing long prison sentence for her blatant criminal conduct."

"The FBI will not tolerate weapon sales to American adversaries by lawful permanent residents of the United States," said Akil Davis, The Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "The defendant allegedly abused the privilege of living in the United States by delivering weapons on behalf of a regime that sponsors terrorism."

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Mafi schemed to broker the sale of weapons, weapons components, and ammunition on behalf of the Government of Iran in violation of U.S. law.

Mafi is an Iranian national who in October 2016 became a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. She owns and operates an Oman-based company, Atlas International Business LLC, which also is known as "Atlas Global Holding" and "Atlas Tech LLC." In early 2025, Mafi brokered weapons deals on Iran's behalf through her company.

For example, she facilitated a contract worth more than $70 million for the sale of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone from Iran's defense ministry to Sudan's military. She coordinated the Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran and was paid more than $7 million.

She also brokered the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan and submitted a letter of intent to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to purchase the bomb fuses for Sudan. Mafi also brokered the sale of millions of rounds of ammunition from Iran to Sudan.

The IEEPA imposes controls and restrictions on transactions involving Iran based on the threats posed by Iran to the national security of the United States including, among others, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and sponsorship of terrorism.

The IEEPA prohibits a U.S. person from transacting or dealing in goods or services owned by the Government of Iran without first obtaining authorization from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This law also bars U.S. persons from transacting with specially designated nationals and blocked persons such as the IRGC and Iran's defense ministry.

At no time did Mafi apply for or obtain the required licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to engage in any transactions alleged in the complaint's affidavit. She also never registered with or applied for approval from the U.S. Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to engage in brokering activities with respect to U.S. or foreign defense articles.

Records obtained pursuant to a search warrant show approximately 62 bidirectional contacts between Mafi and an Iranian intelligence officer's phone numbers between December 2022 and June 2025.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

If convicted, Mafi would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

The FBI is investigating this matter. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security provided substantial assistance.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kedar S. Bhatia of the Public Corruption & Civil Rights Section and David C. Lachman of the National Security Division are prosecuting this case, with valuable assistance from Department of Justice Trial Attorney Brendan Geary of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.