The rain slicked the streets of New York, mirroring the digital grime this man trafficked in. Gholamreza Rafatnejad, a ghost in the machine, is wanted by the FBI for a scheme that reads like a Cold War thriller ripped from today’s headlines. He isn’t some street thug with a switchblade, but a digital phantom accused of leading a sophisticated operation to pilfer American intellectual property and funnel it straight to the Iranian government. They say he was the ringleader of the Mabna Institute, a private contractor essentially acting as a digital arm for Tehran, and the FBI believes he’s still pulling strings from somewhere within Iran.
The specifics are chilling. Unauthorized access, stolen data, wire fraud – the charges pile up like bodies in a back alley. Rafatnejad, born in Tabriz, Iran in 1979, allegedly oversaw the hacking of systems across the country, not for personal enrichment in the typical sense, but to supply Iranian universities and government entities with proprietary information. Think research, technology, anything that could give them an edge. He’s described as a white male, standing around 5’8”, carrying roughly 200 pounds, with unremarkable brown eyes and hair. The kind of face that could disappear in a crowd, which, at this point, is exactly what he’s doing.
This isn’t a simple case of stolen credit card numbers. This is a calculated assault on American innovation, a digital espionage operation with potentially devastating consequences. The FBI considers Rafatnejad an international flight risk, which is a polite way of saying he’s likely got resources and connections to help him vanish. He speaks Farsi, and is currently believed to be residing in Iran, protected by the very regime he served. But the long arm of the law doesn’t stop at borders, and the FBI is determined to bring him to justice.
A substantial reward is being offered for information leading directly to his arrest. This isn’t about politics; it’s about protecting our systems, our data, and our future. Rafatnejad is a threat, a digital parasite feeding on American ingenuity. The FBI needs your help to cut him off.
If you have any information, no matter how small, regarding the whereabouts of Gholamreza Rafatnejad, contact the FBI immediately at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Don’t let this ghost fade into the digital shadows.
🔠Key Facts
| Full Name | Gholamreza Rafatnejad |
| Charges | Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud – Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft |
| Aliases | None known |
| Date of Birth | May 23, 1979 |
| Race / Sex | white / Male |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Height | 5’8″ |
| Weight | 200 lbs |
| Eyes / Hair | brown / brown |
| Scars & Marks | None reported |
| Location | New York |
📋 Source: FBI Most Wanted — Gholamreza Rafatnejad
If you have information about this fugitive, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
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