Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
The United States Attorney’s Office has initiated a civil forfeiture action to recover approximately $584,741 in cryptocurrency alleged to belong to Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, also known as Mohammad Abedini, of Tehran, Iran, and his company San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co. (SDRA). The funds were seized in the form of USDT (Tether) from an un-hosted cryptocurrency wallet that authorities allege is controlled by Abedini.
Abedini was detained by Italian authorities on December 16, 2024, but was released the following month. He is currently believed to be in Iran.
Court documents state that Abedini is the founder and managing director of SDRA, an Iranian firm that produces navigation modules used in military drones for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). SDRA’s main product is the Sepehr Navigation System, which it sells primarily to the IRGC. The United States designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on April 15, 2019. The navigation system is reportedly used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
In December 2024, charges were filed against Abedini for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization—specifically the IRGC Aerospace Force. Since at least 2014, SDRA has undertaken several projects with this division of the IRGC involving guided rockets and integrated navigation systems. Between 2021 and 2022, about 99% of SDRA’s sales of its navigation system went to the IRGC Aerospace Force for use in one-way attack drones.
In January 2024, three U.S. service members died and more than forty others were injured during a drone attack at Tower 22—a military base in northern Jordan—by militants backed by the IRGC. According to court filings, analysis revealed that an Iranian Shahed UAV was used in this attack and it contained a Sepehr Navigation System manufactured by SDRA.
U.S. law permits forfeiture of assets belonging to individuals or entities involved in planning or committing federal terrorism crimes against U.S. persons or property; it also allows seizure of assets acquired or maintained with intent to support such crimes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head leads prosecution of this civil forfeiture case for the District of Massachusetts’ Asset Recovery Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Jared Dolan, Alathea Porter and Christopher Looney from Massachusetts’ Criminal Division; Trial Attorney Christina Clark from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section; along with Trial Attorneys Jessica Joyce and John Cella from Counterterrorism are handling related criminal proceedings.
“The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint and criminal charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
