A federal grand jury indicted three Silicon Valley engineers for stealing trade secrets from Google and other tech firms and transmitting the data to Iran. Samaneh Ghandali, her sister Soroor Ghandali, and Mohammadjavad Khosravi—all San Jose residents and Iranian nationals—were arrested Thursday. The charges include conspiracy, theft, and obstruction.

The stolen materials reportedly included hundreds of confidential files related to mobile processor security and cryptography. Khosravi worked at a company developing Snapdragon SoC platforms, a critical semiconductor technology found in most high-end Android phones. Prosecutors allege these trade secrets have independent economic value and could benefit competitors.

According to the indictment, the defendants routed files through third-party platforms to personal devices and Iran, then attempted to cover their tracks after Google’s security systems flagged the activity. They searched for methods to delete communications and photographed computer screens to evade digital monitoring. Google said routine monitoring detected the theft and it immediately alerted law enforcement.

If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison per trade secret charge and up to 20 years for obstruction, along with fines of $250,000 per count. The case underscores the high stakes of protecting advanced semiconductor intellectual property.