An Iranian businesswoman holding a U.S. green card has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport over allegations that she helped broker arms deals linked to Tehran, including drones and ammunition destined for Sudan.
Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was taken into custody on Saturday night and charged with acting as an intermediary in weapons transactions involving Iranian military equipment, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Prosecutors allege that Mafi, who left Iran in 2013 and obtained U.S. permanent residency in 2016, used an Oman-registered company, Atlas International Business, to facilitate arms-related deals as recently as 2025.
Court documents cited in the report claim she was involved in a contract worth over $70 million for Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones supplied by Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
The shipments allegedly also included about 55,000 bomb fuses and were linked to transactions with Sudan’s Ministry of Defense amid the country’s ongoing civil war.
Investigators also reportedly found phone records suggesting contact between Mafi and Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025.
Prosecutors say she had no legal authorization to facilitate such transactions. Mafi, however, told investigators she had never been instructed by the Iranian government to carry out activities in the United States.
Court records further allege that Iranian authorities previously seized property she inherited from her father in 2020 and later encouraged her, through the intelligence ministry, to establish a business in the U.S. aimed at repurchasing those assets. Iran allegedly offered to fund the start-up costs.
She is also quoted in the filings as allegedly saying she was “more useful” to Iranian intelligence in Tehran than in the United States.
In a post on X, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government.
He said Mafi has been charged under 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for allegedly brokering the sale of Iranian-made military equipment, including drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition, which were reportedly destined for Sudan.
Essayli added that she is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.
“She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan,” Essayli said.
“If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.”
“She is expected to make her initial appearance on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown L.A. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court,” Essayli added.
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