Charleston, South Carolina — A 36-year-old man and his company are staring down a federal indictment accusing them of pulling off a multimillion-dollar digital heist — not with guns or getaway cars, but with fake businesses and forged identities in the shadowy world of internet infrastructure. Amir Golestan, of Charleston, South Carolina, and his firm Micfo, LLC, were charged in a twenty-count indictment unsealed this week, each count carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence.
The scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, began in February 2014 and revolved around a fabricated network known as “Channel Partners.” These weren’t real companies but paper entities conjured by Golestan and Micfo to deceive the American Registry of Internet Numbers (ARIN). The goal? Illegally secure the rights to hundreds of thousands of IP addresses — the digital real estate that powers everything online. The fraudulently obtained addresses totaled approximately 757,760, with a market value estimated between $9,850,880.00 and $14,397,440.00.
Court documents reveal that Golestan and Micfo didn’t just file paperwork — they built entire fronts. False officers were listed, deceptive websites went live, and the illusion of legitimate businesses was maintained solely to trick ARIN into transferring control of the IP blocks. There was no actual business activity, no real partners — just a shell game played in the regulatory gaps of internet governance.
The fraud persisted for nearly a decade, feeding a black market for IP addresses as demand outpaced supply under ARIN’s strict allocation rules. By disguising Micfo’s acquisitions through these phony partners, Golestan allegedly bypassed restrictions meant to prevent hoarding and ensure fair distribution. The result: a near-total takeover of available IP resources under false pretenses.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, unraveling the layers of digital deception that propped up the Channel Partners scheme. Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Williams is prosecuting the case in federal court in Charleston, where Golestan now faces the full weight of the U.S. criminal code — 20 counts of wire fraud, each a standalone federal felony.
“All charges in the indictment are merely accusations,” said United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon, “and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.” For now, the digital grift is over. The courtroom battle for 757,760 stolen IP addresses — and the $9 million behind them — is just beginning.
Related Federal Cases
- Amir Golestan, Micfo CEO, Pleads Guilty to 20 Counts Wire Fraud · South Carolina
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- Myrtle Beach Attorney McAdams Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud · South Carolina
- 16 Indicted in Texas Bank Fraud Ring: $1.3M Losses · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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