A former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contractor has been indicted for allegedly acting as an illegal agent for the Iranian government, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.

According to the indictment, from at least December 2017 through June 2024, 42-year-old Abouzar Rahmati allegedly met with Iranian government officials and acted on their behalf.

Rahmati, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Great Falls, Virginia, was previously a 1st Lieutenant in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, from June 2009 to May 2010. The IRGC is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. government.

After being discharged from the IRGC, the indictment alleges that Rahmati lied to the U.S. government about his military service with the IRGC in order to obtain employment as a U.S. contractor.

In August 2017, prosecutors allege that Rahmati began communicating with a senior Iranian government official whom he had previously attended college with.

Four months later, Rahmati traveled to Iran and met with intelligence operatives. During these meetings, he agreed to obtain and provide them with information on the U.S. government.

Following these initial meetings, Rahmati began working as a spy for the Iranian government. Prosecutors said that he eventually became a contractor for FAA’s National Airspace System (NAS), which gave him access to sensitive information.

Authorities allege that in April 2022, Rahmati downloaded private documents related to the FAA and the NAS power and electrical architecture and gave them to the Iranian government.

He also provided the Government of Iran with additional information relating to solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, the U.S. energy industry, and U.S. air traffic control.

“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Iranian officials, even lying to obtain employment as a U.S. government contractor only to then share sensitive government materials with Iran,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said. “When undisclosed agents of Iran or any other foreign government seek to infiltrate American companies or government agencies, the Justice Department will use every available tool to identify them and bring them to justice.”

Rahmati appeared in court in the District of Columbia on Friday afternoon.