A CIA, FBI and DHS Investigation of a Technology Con-Man from Chicago to New York

This article has been reviewed and approved for its accuracy by the

Department of Homeland Security

 By Joe Pirzadeh

Entrepreneurs are the global market’s backbone. We—and I hope, you—bring fresh ideas, new jobs and often great strides in technology to the world. I strive to be just such an entrepreneur. With a background in successful entrepreneurship and technology engineering, I recognized a niche in advancing law enforcement devices through digital integration, next-generation products and real-time communication. Recognition isn’t enough, so I worked on turning my dream into an aggressive business plan. I assembled financing, built a strong team and unwittingly descended into nightmare.

The Perfect Target for a Technology Con-Man

My background with recognized companies as an executive engineer and technical architect prepared me for business, but not much as a patsy. I worked on such projects as the U.S. Mobile Missile Train from general specs to full concept design, and I hold a patent in the U.S. and Canada for future-forward products. Starting my own business, Advanced Technical Support (ATS), was a natural evolution of my aspirations. There, I created specialized teams to provide in-house and outsourced technical program management and development. In that time, I prioritized building a professional network of executives from fortune 500 companies, as well as developing deep knowledge of mobile technology. I’ve always believed that being a strong manager balances hands-on leadership with employee empowerment and trust, and proved this model as I oversaw more than 200 technical and administrative professionals.

Hardly the story of a target ripe for espionage, I know, yet a calculating con-man whom I hired initially into ATS as a talented engineer, eventually found nefarious opportunity in the shadows of my dream’s rising star in my second company, Atsonic.

The Set-Up

It’s been my experience that discipline and creativity come together to create ideas worth developing, and such an idea consumed my attention. Seeing the potential for real-time communications in law enforcement, I devised a suite of intelligent mobile solutions, sweetCam for real-time sharing of video, sweetPrint and sweetFax for rapid and secure file-sharing, and the crown jewel, sweetFinger, the world’s first real-time, wireless, mobile finger-print, with a global positional system capture tool, enabling immediate transmission for analysis of biometric data for in-the-field use. The application was endless for law enforcement, government agencies, military and even bio-metric encoding organizations, such as healthcare, security companies and banks. Recognized by the New York Times with an article praising Atsonic for the incredible advances in biometrics and the empowerment of law enforcement officers leading to a drastic increase in arrests and convictions, my company was growing in the public eye. Based in closely-held software coding, the Atsonic products were achingly attractive to technology thieves. Compact and digital, representing a vast market in its infancy, I unwittingly set myself up for a devastating strike.

Enter the Con-Man

I built my company like any other entrepreneur, keeping development close and confidential. I recruited much of my team through referrals, scouting for bleeding-edge talent across the globe. One of these technologists was based in Eastern Europe. Impressed with his skills and buoyed by the endorsement of a previous employee, I recruited Mobi Tamile (not his real name) to transition to the U.S. as an employee of ATS. Believing in his value, I provided attorney and legal documentation fees and sunk $12,000 into onboarding him as a new ATS employee. Working initially as a software developer, Tamile transferred to a Technology company for a year, then back to ATS. When I started Atsonic, I openly sought out Tamile to join me as a Senior Developer and eventually promoted him to CTO.

Tamile quickly proved his immediate value. His software development skills were tremendous. His understanding and positioning of technology was first-rate. I had every reason to trust in his skills, but skill is only one aspect of a person’s make-up.

Anatomy of a Con-Man

Con-men are of unique make-up. In the movies, a con-man has surface understanding, and the confidence game is in winning trust through trickery. At least in this case, Tamile could have easily made a great deal of money in his role as CTO; I fully intended to be generous to my employees and communicated that to them often, but what Tamile shared with the movie con-man is a dearth of character. Did Tamile have the plan to steal my intellectual property at the outset, or did he recognize an opportunity during his employment that his personal lack of character failed to prevent? Whichever, Tamile had an innate ability to assess the opportunity, manipulate processes to benefit his crime and time his perfidy and exit.

 Markers of Fraying Character

In hindsight, I was able to identify things that could have warned me of the crime soon to take place. True to my nature, my management style was collegial, keeping communication an open highway among my staff. Tamile, however, was introverted and nervous, verging on paranoia. He was highly protective of his designs and development, keeping tight control of when and to whom he would reveal his work. In his rare moments of condor, he admitted he opened his mail outside the home, “Because you never know what is in [the mail].” While I noted Tamile’s ingrained suspicion, I chocked it up the unique makeup of software designers, which can attract people with high intelligence and awkward social skills. Having experienced prejudice in my own life, I was not eager to make snap judgments of others. I admit that my trust and personal character was a likely a goad to Tamile’s choices, but I still value these traits as part of leadership. Despite how much they would cost me.

The Ramp-Up to the Crime

The Atsonic team’s work was beginning to pay off. Designs were developed and productized; the PR engine was ramping up and a pilot of the sweetSuite devices — consisting of finger-print capture, integrated global positioning and real-time access verification — was wildly successful at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Investors were taking notice and other companies began courting me for partnerships and outright acquisition. My strategic vision for technology attracted Fortune 500 executives and venture capitalists, including HP, Panasonic and Motorola Venture. The new market was taking shape and primed for aggressive sales. My team became confident of an extremely lucrative future. Visions of bonuses and explosive growth danced in everyone’s heads. I was excited to jump on the entrepreneurial roller coaster again—something that once you’ve experienced it, you’ll strive to repeat again and again. But to Tamile, the temptation became too great.

Tamile’s own machinations had made the crime possible. Responsible for network administration and all servers, Tamile also oversaw server backup. The strength of a paranoid CTO ensured high-security protocols strictly enforced—or so it seemed. The protocols, unfortunately also ensured a complete theft when the time arrived.

The Nightmare Begins

I left home that day, excited for the many tasks ahead of me. My daily planner was full of sales, marketing and management tasks to continue the launch of products. After weeks of positive feedback from stakeholders and sales prospects, my pipeline was primed. Years of hard work was going to be richly rewarded!

Then a slow avalanche began. Tamile, on a business trip to Florida, unexpectedly resigned by sending a letter FedEx. No word in the letter mentioned the three critical laptops he had taken with him. Those laptops, stripped of all important data, were shipped from a different sender address in Illinois more than a week later. To preserve chain of evidence, I took the step to have FedEx reroute the package to my attorney’s office. 

Often, our subconscious recognizes something terrible has happened before our conscience ever catches a clue. I had an uneasy feeling, my mind flipping through possibilities. I would soon realize the dead servers had been wiped. Backup tapes were unusable. All copies of source code for my company’s software was gone, marketing material and proposals were deleted, and digital architecture and schematics were missing.

I repeatedly called Tamile and got no answer. All my intellectual property had been stolen by a trusted CTO. In effect, my entire company had been ripped out from under me. I can’t adequately describe the emotional impact. After the slow build to the first plunge of the roller coaster, I was instead plunged into a freefall, the track pulled out from under me.

Panic struck at that moment, turning my legs to water. What had been a day of promise turned to wreckage.

The Strength of Good Character

Tamile had banked on several actions he believed I would never take. The sweetSuite of tools gathered confidential data from law enforcement partners. Tamile couldn’t believe that I would admit to these powerful stakeholders that our security had been breached. Tamile also began posting smear campaigns about me on a tattletale website. So confident was Tamile, that he didn’t even leave the country, as I would find out months later.

Of course, not notifying the authorities never crossed my mind. Honesty and transparency is imperative to business success, so I immediately contacted the FBI and O’Hare International Airport within hours of the crime.

What had looked like a joyous holiday season became a season of depression. I could not continue my business, or continue to employee my people, without my key products.

I huddled with my lawyer, and followed his advice to outline the theft in writing for the FBI and Homeland Security. I also notified the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) so they could open their own investigation on this Visa risk.

Concurrent with the FBI’s investigation, Homeland Security officials stepped in and interviewed me for hours, recording details, asking insightful questions and wrapping their arms around the scope of the crime. They looked through Tamile’s desk, seized Tamile’s laptops and CDs and tagged them as potential evidence.

Careful to keep meticulous notes of every contact with the investigating agencies, I became an active stakeholder by continually following up, complying immediately with requests and making myself available to investigators.

Months of Continual Investigation

Technology theft and corporate espionage can be difficult to prove. Software is easy to hide, there is no smoking gun and a coordinated investigation and any possible stings must be planned, authorized and executed.

Because of my immediate contact and ties in the security community, FBI and DHS started building a case against Tamile, which could take years. In that time, my business was on hold and the market was beginning to move without me. The constant hurry-up-and-wait nature of chasing down leads and gathering information was emotionally draining. Used to being the principle mover in projects, I was now reduced to a vital but minor player in the case.

True to my nature, I regularly called the agents in charge, seeking updates and offering whatever aid I could give. Information trickled back slowly. In DHS’s examination of Tamile’s crashed laptop, they found emails to Tamile sent to foreign countries, as well as copies of my emails. Tamile had set up a program to copy and route all emails to his attention.  Because of Tamile’s technical background, the FBI was concerned about his ability to hack into my or Atsonic’s servers, where he could find information about their investigation. Their cyber-ops team rooted out visitors’ IP addresses for investigation and assisted me in safeguarding my systems, taking their instructions on avoiding tipping off Tamile.

Within months of the theft, the FBI and DHS found Tamile in New York. In the movies, they would have broken down the door and arrested him. But in the real world, they discussed and planned how to approach Tamile.

A Bold Plan

Frustrated and dejected, I spent hours lambasting myself, going over what I should have done differently, what I should have noticed. I also spent agonizing hours trying to move my company forward. I needed the source-code back!

I desperately wanted a more active role in the investigation, so I approached DHS with a plan that would put me in the thick of it. I offered to approach Tamile myself, to offer $50,000 for the return of the software. I knew I was losing money with every day that went by. DHS rejected the plan. Instead they let me know where I really stood: If they indicted him, I may never get my technology back, but once they started, there was no going back. My options were far from ideal and left me feeling helpless and defeated.

Then a new development surfaced; an Atsonic reseller mentioned to a potential buyer that he could get the fingerprint technology from Tamile. This gave the agencies a new angle to work.

Enter the CIA

In the course of the investigation, I had regular contact with the FBI and DHS. Nonetheless, I was surprised when a call came from the CIA. A CIA representative, Steve (not his real name), asked for a meeting at my office for a chat. Understandably cautious, I tried to clarify the purpose of the visit —personal or company related? Steve assured me it was about Atsonic. I agreed, but learning caution by now, I called my attorney for advice.

The lawyer’s counsel was to answer only questions I wanted to and refuse to answer those I deemed inappropriate.  Further, the moment I became uncomfortable, I was to terminate the meeting and call my lawyer. Again, taking precautions, I first confirmed the CIA representative was, in fact, from the CIA.

The next day, Steve arrived. We spoke for an hour. Again, I tried to clarify: was the CIA interested in the specific product and solutions or the technology overall? He said the technology. That didn’t prevent him from asking about the investigation of Tamile, taking a keen interested in the story. He requested detailed information, including Tamile’s full name and whether he sold the technology to another country, keeping notes as I answered.

During this and successive conversations, Steve, on the phone and in person, asked penetrating questions, discussed the case and expressed his interest in monitoring the investigation. Steve requested information throughout the investigation, offering advice and moving the CIA’s own interest in the technology through channels.

DHS Interviews Tamile

Finally, DHS decided to approach Tamile. First by surveilling his house for a day, then making contact with an interview. Events went as planned, and two agents from Chicago and New York knocked on Tamile’s door, inviting themselves in.  Here’s the short form:

Tamile was nervous, making the agent’s job easier. At first the agents said they were following up an immigration issue; Tamile had disappeared. They asked for his Green card, passport and driver’s license. From there, they discussed Tamile’s employment, finally zeroing in on Atsonic. Again, they approached obliquely, first asking if he’d sold technology to anyone or any governments, slipping in the question of whether he had kept copies of Atsonic’s materials.

The lies began flowing. Tamile claimed he hadn’t taken anything; that all materials had been left in his laptop at Atsonic. Had he left on good terms? First he claimed that he had, that I had not spoken to him since, nor made any attempts to. The agents took this in calmly, not letting on that Tamile was under suspicion. Instead, they told him the government was very interested in the technology and needed help with their system and wanted his cooperation in pulling it together for them. Tamile made excuses, each of which was countered by the agents. Tamile finally agreed, but with provisos. He would cooperate but he would not travel to Chicago. The agents accept this condition, indicating he would work out of their office in New York.

Soon thereafter, Tamile posted a malicious thread on a tattle-tale website, claiming I was a vicious person. The authorities caught the post and demanded the website take it down. Even false accusations burn, and you can imagine how this frayed my emotional state further.

A Bizarre Turn

Days after the interview, Tamile’s lawyer called the agents in Chicago, offering Tamile’s cooperation for full immunity.

“For what,” asked the agent? The lawyer blustered, and the state attorney office said there was no reason to offer immunity.

The request for immunity confirmed Tamile’s guilt in the eyes of the agents.

I’ve resolved to take something from this, even if it’s awareness and knowledge to safeguard others and share my story.

A Bad Time to be a Con-Man

Throughout this monograph, I’ve tried to give you a sense of how I’ve felt during this process. Now let’s look at what Tamile must be facing. Today is the worst time in history to commit corporate espionage, economic espionage, or technology fraud against the government. Congress has finally caught up with the represented dangers by drafting pointed laws for those caught and convicted.

While I freely admit the trust I offered and the potential of our products made this intellectual property theft difficult for a man of low character to pass up, the very products he took and the market he would have to sell to makes selling it next to impossible. All US law enforcement is government based. Unless he’s in complete denial, he must suspect the CIA, FBI, DHS, ICE and, if he has foreign markets in mind. Imagine the might of these government agencies baring down on you.

To make matters worse, the lucrative market he must sell to is government-based. He cannot make a sale without them knowing about it. If he makes a move, is caught and convicted, he could be jailed up to 10 years and face up to $10,000,000 in fines. As a foreign national, if he sells to a rogue nation, he’s looking at a trip to prison for a very long time.

I can only hope the emotional pressure he’s under forces his hand. For him, the pressure is unrelenting. For me, I can take solace in not just moving forward, but sharing my story to educate and train other entrepreneurs. For people of good will, there is benefit in even hard circumstances.

Final Damage Control

The losses from corporate espionage are unrecoverable. Hold one thing tight above all others: You, like me, had the vision and executive will to create something worth stealing. Others can steal your handiwork, but they can’t steal the entrepreneurial spirit you possess. A thief can’t reproduce that spirit—that drive; you can. And I promise you, I will. Just watch.

* Names and specific details have been removed from this article for the protection of investigation.