Woodland Hills woman arrested at LAX for alleged arms sales to Iran

A 44-year-old Woodland Hills woman has been arrested for allegedly trafficking arms for the Iranian government, U.S. officials said Sunday.

Shamim Mafi was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. She is charged with brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan, he said.

If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Mafi is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016, according to Essayli.

She is expected to make her initial appearance Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Last night, Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran. She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of… pic.twitter.com/l39Gf1WVed

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 19, 2026