Federal prosecutors have charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who worked as an engineer at OpenAI, with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. The alleged incident involved the concealment of a sophisticated recording device in the company’s San Francisco office.
OpenAI discovered the hidden device, which was wrapped in toilet paper and inserted into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room, according to court documents. The company reported the discovery to the FBI and stated it had employed its artificial intelligence models to track the device to a specific employee. Prosecutors allege the goal was to capture information about the company’s AI products. OpenAI confirmed that no source code, model weights, or customer data were compromised in the incident.
Alfozan began working at OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025. Investigators say he used an AI chatbot to research sensitive company locations and methods for concealing audio recording equipment. Court documents detail searches related to building, customizing, installing, and encrypting audio recording devices. On 30 September, OpenAI employees located the initial device approximately two days after prosecutors say it was installed. The device contained encrypted data.
On 5 October, prosecutors allege Alfozan returned to the conference room, presumably to inspect or retrieve the device. Security camera footage was used to place him at the location. Later that same day, he left an unattended bag in a different section of the building containing his wallet, identification, and a second recording device similar to the first one discovered. Alfozan appeared in court on Tuesday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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