The Department of Justice arrested and charged two Iranian citizens Monday with spying on the U.S. by conducting covert surveillance of Israeli and Jewish facilities.
Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, 38, and Majid Ghorbani, 59, are charged with "knowingly acting as agents of the government of Iran without prior notification to the Attorney General, providing services to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions and conspiracy."
The charges carry maximum statutory penalties of 10 years, 20 years, and five years in prison, respectively.
Doostdar, 38, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, and Ghorbani, 59, an Iranian citizen and resident of California, reportedly also collected information about members of MEK, an Iranian political organization that seeks regime change in Iran and was listed by the State Department as a terrorist group from 1997 to 2012.
"This alleged activity demonstrates a continued interest in targeting the United States, as well as potential opposition groups located in the United States," said Michael McGarrity, the acting executive assistant director of the FBI.
Ghorbani and Doostdar staked out and photographer Hillel House and Rohr Chabad House in Chicago, an MEK rally in New York City and an MEK-affiliated convention in Washington on human rights in Iran.
The two men were arrested Aug. 9 and criminal complaints were unsealed after an indictment was returned Monday in the District of Columbia. Ghorbani faces a federal detention hearing Tuesday morning in Washington.
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