Overview
- Shamim Mafi, 44, a lawful U.S. resident from Woodland Hills, was arrested Saturday night at LAX and charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions, a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison if she is convicted.
- A newly unsealed complaint alleges she brokered Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones in a deal worth more than $70 million for Sudan’s defense ministry, along with 55,000 bomb fuses and ammunition that included at least 10 million AK-47 rounds and a proposed 240 million-round contract.
- Investigators say she ran deals through an Oman-registered firm called Atlas International Business and routed payments through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to hide the origin of the weapons and evade U.S. export controls.
- Prosecutors cite phone records showing 62 contacts with an officer from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and say she coordinated with figures tied to the Revolutionary Guard, while Mafi told agents she was not tasked to operate in the United States.
- Mafi is set for an initial court appearance in downtown Los Angeles on Monday as an active probe continues into possible associates, with the case drawing attention because Iranian drones have become a key factor in Sudan’s civil war that has displaced millions.