What federal agents say they found The Justice Department says Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, was arrested Wednesday after federal agents moved on his $35 million Southern California mansion. Prosecutors charge him with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and they say the case involves more than a paperwork problem with a fancy address. According to the DOJ, Ghomi allegedly helped sell U.S.-origin computer networking parts to Iranian companies and government entities, including organizations tied to Iran’s military and nuclear work. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the government plans to seek prison time and seize assets, including the mansion. Federal cases often arrive wearing a tie and a stern face, but the facts here are simple enough: if the allegations hold, this was not casual international business. It was sanctioned trade with a country the U.S. openly treats as a hostile actor, which is the sort of detail that tends to matter when prosecutors start counting years. https://twitter.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2062206388739215654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw How prosecutors say the scheme was hidden Authorities say Ghomi did not just sell restricted goods and hope nobody noticed. The complaint says he took deliberate steps to keep his name off shipping records, left invoices…

Judge Brinkema halts the fund before it can start U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered the Justice Department to stop taking “any further action” on the Anti-Weaponization Fund, a move that does more than freeze payments. It blocks the program from being set up at all, including naming administrators, building a structure, or even doing the prep work that comes before government money starts changing hands. Courts are supposed to review executive action, not sit at the agency desk and decide who gets a chair, but here the judge did not just tap the brakes. She parked the car, took the keys, and filed the paperwork herself. What the fund was meant to do The fund was created as part of a settlement in Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the unlawful release of his tax information. Its purpose was simple enough to understand, which may be part of the problem in Washington. It would give people who believe they were harmed by government weaponization or politically motivated lawfare a way to seek compensation. That includes people who say they were dragged through investigations, public smears, or financial damage for political reasons rather than for real evidence of wrongdoing. In theory, this…