Three engineers from San Jose have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing sensitive trade secrets from Google and other semiconductor companies and transferring the information to unauthorized destinations, including Iran. Prosecutors allege the defendants conspired to remove confidential materials related to mobile processor security and cryptography.

According to the indictment, the suspects used their authorized access to obtain protected documents and shared them through private channels, personal devices, and computers at competing firms. The alleged activity was discovered after internal security systems at Google detected suspicious behavior in August 2023, leading to revoked access and a deeper investigation.

Authorities claim the three attempted to conceal their actions by submitting false affidavits and deleting records. They are also accused of photographing hundreds of computer screens with personal phones, including shortly before two of them traveled to Iran, where the sensitive materials were later accessed.

The defendants have been arrested and face charges of trade secret theft and obstruction of justice. If convicted, they could receive lengthy prison sentences, as federal prosecutors state they remain committed to protecting American technological innovation from foreign threats.