Woodland Hills Woman Arrested at LAX for Alleged Arms Sales to Iran
An Iranian woman who lives in Woodland Hills made her first appearance before a Los Angeles federal judge Monday but did not enter a plea to allegations she brokered the sale of weapons on behalf of Iran in violation of United States law.Shamim Mafi, 44, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. She is charged with brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan, he said.If convicted of the single charged count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, she would face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Mafi is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016, according to Essayli.She will remain in federal custody at least until her possible release on bond is discussed Thursday at a detention hearing in Los Angeles federal court. An arraignment date has not been scheduled.It was not immediately known if Mafi had secured legal representation.
“This individual came from Iran and gained legal status under the Obama administration,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Monday. “While enjoying a life in the United States, this woman was allegedly breaking the law by brokering lethal weapons deals with Iranian adversaries.“This will not stand, and anyone who breaks our laws and threatens national security will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”According to an affidavit filed in Los Angeles federal court with the complaint, Mafi schemed to broker the sale of weapons, weapons components and ammunition on behalf of the government of Iran in violation of U.S. law.
Mafi owns and operates an Oman-based company, Atlas International Business LLC, which also is known as Atlas Global Holding and Atlas Tech LLC, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In early 2025, Mafi allegedly brokered weapons deals on Iran’s behalf through her company.For example, prosecutors allege, she facilitated a contract worth more than $70 million for the sale of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone from Iran’s defense ministry to Sudan’s military. She coordinated the Sudanese delegation’s travel to Iran and was paid more than $7 million, officials contend.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she also brokered the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan and submitted a letter of intent to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to purchase the bomb fuses for Sudan. Mafi also allegedly brokered the sale of millions of rounds of ammunition from Iran to Sudan.The IEEPA imposes controls and restrictions on transactions involving Iran based on the threats posed by Iran to the national security of the United States including, among others, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and sponsorship of terrorism.At no time did Mafi apply for or obtain the required licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to engage in any transactions alleged in the complaint’s affidavit. She also never registered with or applied for approval from the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to engage in brokering activities with respect to U.S. or foreign defense articles, prosecutors said.
Records obtained pursuant to a search warrant show nearly 62 bidirectional contacts between Mafi and an Iranian intelligence officer’s phone numbers between December 2022 and June 2025, federal prosecutors stated.“As acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear, the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute violations of U.S. sanctions that target foreign adversaries such as the government of Iran,” Essayli said Monday.“This defendant took advantage of our open immigration system to live freely in Los Angeles while simultaneously working to traffic arms on behalf of a country that seeks to destroy us. Not on our watch. We look forward to securing a long prison sentence for her blatant criminal conduct.”
