A federal grand jury in the district of New Jersey Wednesday indicted three Iranian nationals for an alleged computer-hacking scheme involving organizations from several countries.

The indictment named Mansour Ahmadi, Ahmad Khatibi Aghda, and Amir Hossein Nickaein Ravari as defendants. The indictment alleges that the defendants engaged in a computer-hacking scheme and hacked into multiple computer networks. The four charges brought against the defendants include conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, intentional damage to a protected computer, intentional damage to a protected computer, and transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer.

The indictment asserts that the hacking scheme targeted computer systems belonging to small businesses, government agencies, non-profit programs, educational institutions and religious institutions. One of these organizations was a domestic violence shelter. The charges carry a combined sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In response to the indictment, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen stated:

These defendants may have been hacking and extorting victims – including critical infrastructure providers – for their personal gain, but the charges reflect how criminals can flourish in the safe haven that the Government of Iran has created and is responsible for… According to the Indictment, even other Iranians are less safe because their own government fails to follow international norms and stop Iranian cyber criminals.