Overview
- Shamim Mafi, 44, a lawful permanent U.S. resident from Woodland Hills, was arrested Saturday night at LAX as she prepared to board a flight to Turkey, according to federal authorities.
- Prosecutors say a newly unsealed complaint charges her under 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering Iranian-made drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition for Sudan’s Ministry of Defense.
- The filing alleges she arranged a contract worth more than $70.6 million for Mohajer-6 armed drones and a separate sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan’s military.
- Investigators say she used an Oman-registered firm, Atlas International Business LLC, and routed payments through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade U.S. sanctions.
- Court records cite roughly 62 contacts with an officer of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and links to figures tied to the IRGC, and she faces up to 20 years in prison with an initial court appearance set for Monday as the investigation continues.