CrimeOwl AI logoCrimeOwl AI
CasesBlogPricingAbout
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Cases
  4. /
  5. BEHZAD MESRI
Back to CasesMore Cases
Current and former members of the United States Intelligence Community (targets of cyber campaign)

The person at the center of this case

Current and former members of the United States Intelligence Community (targets of cyber campaign)

Case
#1174
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
Iran
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. District Court, District of Columbia; U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Cold Case · Open
7 years waiting · since 2019

BEHZAD MESRI

Justice for Current and former members of the United States Intelligence Community (targets of cyber campaign) — the trail went cold in 2019, but the truth hasn't.

Start here

Key leads to think about

🎯
suspect
Lead #1

What is Mesri's current location and operational status within Iran?

🔍
evidence
Lead #2

How much of the $6 million Bitcoin extortion was successfully obtained?

📞
contact
Lead #3

Who are the co-conspirators and other individuals indicted alongside Mesri?

Behzad Mesri, CEO of an Iranian entity allegedly working for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is wanted for leading a sophisticated cyber campaign targeting U.S. Intelligence Community members through computer intrusion and identity theft. Between 2017 and 2019, Mesri was indicted twice for unauthorized computer access, data theft, wire fraud, and attempted extortion demanding approximately $6 million in Bitcoin. He remains at large in Iran, and his capture would significantly disrupt ongoing state-sponsored cyber operations against American intelligence personnel.

Case
#1174
SourceFBI WantedUpdated Mar 15, 2026
Iran
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. District Court, District of Columbia; U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

Try asking

Claim this imported case

A one-time $10 claim transfers this imported case workspace to your account. You get 10 uploads for this case, 25 daily AI questions for this case, and public tips with files route to you.

10 uploads25 AI questions/day

This does not start a subscription. When the included limits are reached, the Personal plan unlocks more workspace capacity.

More leads to consider

Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.

💡
clue
Lead #4

What specific intelligence personnel or systems were targeted in the cyber campaign?

👤
person
Lead #5

What is the extent of Mesri's connection to and direction by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?

Have information about any of these leads?

Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.

Official wording

Source Narrative

Computer Intrusion; Aggravated Identity Theft; Aiding and Abetting; Computer Fraud – Unauthorized Access to a Protected Computer; Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud – Threatening to Impair the Confidentiality of Information; Computer Fraud – Threatening to Damage a Protected Computer/Impair the Confidentiality of Information; Interstate Transmission of an Extortionate Communication Caution: Behzad Mesri is wanted for his alleged involvement in criminal activities to include computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft. Mesri was the CEO of an Iranian entity that allegedly worked at the behest of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was allegedly used in furtherance of a malicious cyber campaign targeting current and former members of the United States Intelligence Community.

On February 8, 2019, a grand jury in the United States District Court, District of Columbia, indicted Mesri, and others , and a federal arrest warrant was issued for him after he was charged with conspiracy, attempted computer intrusions, and aggravated identity theft. Mesri was previously charged with unauthorized access to computer systems, stealing proprietary data from those systems, and attempted extortion for approximately $6 million in Bitcoin.

On November 8, 2017, a grand jury in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, indicted Mesri and a federal arrest warrant was issued for him after he was charged with Computer Fraud – Unauthorized Access to a Protected Computer; Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud – Threatening to Impair the Confidentiality of Information; Computer Fraud – Threatening to Damage a Protected Computer/Impair the Confidentiality of Information; Interstate Transmission of an Extortionate Communication; and Aggravated Identity Theft. Remarks: Mesri is known to speak Farsi and resides in Iran.

Timeline of Events

🕵️
2017-11-08

First Federal Indictment

Grand jury in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, indicted Mesri for Computer Fraud, Wire Fraud, Threatening to Impair Confidentiality, Interstate Transmission of Extortionate Communication, and Aggravated Identity Theft. Federal arrest warrant issued.

🕵️
2019-02-08

Second Federal Indictment

Grand jury in U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, indicted Mesri for conspiracy, attempted computer intrusions, and aggravated identity theft related to malicious cyber campaign targeting U.S. Intelligence Community members.

Case Information

Incident:November 8, 2017
Last Updated:June 8, 2026

Leave a comment

Comments

Case Information

Incident:November 8, 2017
Last Updated:June 8, 2026