Less than two weeks before the 2020 US presidential election, Thousands upon thousands of emails claiming to be from the Proud Boys right-hand group he threatened to “follow” the Democrats if they did not vote for Trump. As officials warned at the time, these messages were part of a growing Iranian disinformation campaign and influence that sought to divide the US and reduce confidence in the elections. Now, the United States Department of Justice has released a document calling for two Iranian citizens to send emails and more, and to provide new information on the electoral fraud campaign.
Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi, 24, and Sajjad Kashian, 27, have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, spreading international threats, computer fraud, and intimidating voters. The pair allegedly worked for Iran’s cybersecurity firm Emennet Pasargad, whom officials from the Ministry of Justice said had made an agreement with the Iranian government. In addition to the ruling, the Treasury Department of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions Thursday against the company, four members of its leadership, and the two defendants.
“As it turns out, Kazemi and Kashian were part of a conspiracy that Iranian extremists sought to undermine confidence and confidence in the US Presidential election,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement on Thursday. “Because of the unresolved cases today, as well as the trials we are dealing with in the US government, Kazemi and Kashian should shrug their shoulders forever as we strive to prosecute them.”
Officials say they believe the accused are in Iran. The State Department has announced a reward of up to $ 10 million for Kazemi and Kashian.
Court documents allege that in addition to the threatening e-mail campaign, the two men also tried to disrupt voter registration centers in 11 states and did well in one, where they were able to obtain confidential information from 100,000 voters. Officials refused to identify the government, but The Wall Street Journal reports in October 2020 it was Alaska.
The defendants have also been charged with felony criminal mischief for firing on a sculpture with a limited number of newsletters and other media outlets around the US. Upon learning of the situation, the FBI issued a warning to the company, which took action to curb the illegal activity. Officials say the attackers tried to connect to a network of media companies the day after the election, but found themselves locked up. Iranian Obera is known for its production and distribution false stories that seem to be legitimate or appear to be stealing the actual pages of that story post production.
The case also incriminates the defendants by engaging in other forms of persuasion. Appearing as Proud Boys, he allegedly sent Facebook messages and emails to Republican Congressmen, Trump campaigners, and journalists who said the Democratic Party was planning to use security threats at voter registration centers, vote-rigging, and false voter registration. . . They also allegedly created and distributed fake video on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook that appeared to expose attackers who were using electoral threats to disrupt government websites and other platforms and create fraudulent votes that do not exist.