Silicon Valley Engineers Accused of Stealing Google Trade Secrets Three Silicon Valley engineers have been charged with stealing trade secrets from Google and other large corporations and sending them to unapproved places, including Iran This article explores accused stealing google. . San Jose residents Samaneh Ghandali (41), Mohammadjavad "Mohammad" Khosravi (40), and Soroor Ghandali (32) were detained and appeared before a federal court in San Jose on Thursday.

The accused allegedly plotted to steal trade secrets, attempt to steal, and obstruct justice, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.

Charged with Theft of Business Secrets Former employees of large technology companies that developed mobile computer processors are accused of abusing their job access to steal confidential documents pertaining to advanced cryptography, encryption, and processor security. According to the prosecution, sisters Samaneh and Soroor Ghandali both worked at Google before joining various tech companies known as Company 2 and Company 3 in the indictment. Samaneh's husband, Khosravi, worked for another top processor technology company.

According to the indictment, the three moved hundreds of private files from Google to private channels for communication that were named after their first names. These files, which were later copied to a number of personal and business-issued devices, allegedly contained Google trade secrets.

In order to avoid being discovered by digital monitoring systems, data was purportedly exfiltrated manually by taking pictures of computer screens. Samaneh Ghandali's access was terminated by Google in August 2023 after the company's internal security systems detected unusual activity. Investigators found that the defendants continued to access stolen data and search online for ways to remove or hide digital evidence, even after they signed affidavits denying any involvement.

Samaneh Ghandali allegedly took pictures of more than two dozen screens showing private information from Khosravi's employer prior to her trip to Iran in December 2023. These photos were later accessed from Iran, according to investigators. Among the numerous charges against the defendants are obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1512 and conspiracy to commit trade secret theft under 18 U.S.C.

§ 1832.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, obstruction charges can result in 20 years in prison and additional fines, while each count of trade secret theft carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office collaborated with the FBI's San Francisco Field Office to lead the investigation. On February 20, 2026, the defendants will appear in court again before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen., LinkedIn, and X for daily cybersecurity updates.

To have your stories featured, get in touch with us.