Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old OpenAI engineer and Saudi national, was arrested Oct. 9 and charged with attempting to intercept oral communications.
OpenAI employees found the recording device on Sept. 30 inside an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco offices. Investigators say it had been inserted into a USB port on the back of a television, concealed in toilet paper and installed around Sept. The device contained encrypted data, and the room was used for discussions involving proprietary research, product plans, business development, government engagements and strategic decisions.
The criminal complaint says office security footage placed Alfozan near the room on several occasions, despite his lack of authorization to enter or attend meetings there. On Oct. 5, newly installed surveillance footage allegedly showed him entering the room and looking behind the television. That same day, security personnel opened a bag he had left unattended elsewhere in the building and found his identification, wallet and another recording device similar to the one found in the conference room.
Investigators also allege that Alfozan used workplace tools to search for office addresses, meeting rooms, calendars and locations of leadership and external-partner meetings. A chatbot account associated with his wife allegedly submitted prompts from Sept. 24 through Sept. 30 about building, customizing, installing, testing, concealing and remotely accessing an audio recorder, including questions about wireless connectivity, live listening and encrypted storage.
OpenAI said it fired Alfozan and referred the matter to the FBI after discovering the device. The company said it had no indication that he accessed or removed model weights, source code or customer data, while also saying it believed he planned to place additional listening devices elsewhere in the building.
Federal prosecutors described the case as a national-security matter involving sensitive artificial-intelligence technology. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if Alfozan is convicted, although the complaint is only an allegation and he is presumed innocent. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.