OpenAI engineer accused of bugging offices ‘had Saudi support’
A former OpenAI engineer has been charged with secretly placing a recording device in a meeting room to gather information about the company. US prosecutors said in new court documents that Abdulrahman Alfozan was only “mere days” away from leaving for Saudi Arabia before his arrest last week.
Prosecutors said Alfozan’s wife and young son also left the United States the day after the 35-year-old Saudi national was arrested. They travelled on a one-way ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. Prosecutors shared these details in a court document filed on Sunday asking that Alfozan remain in custody.
A Saudi man who worked for OpenAI is accused of placing a secret recording device in the company's offices in San Francisco. US Justice Department
“Ultimately, the defendant has little reason to stay in the United States and face this case,” federal prosecutors wrote.
“He has plenty of money, including the large amount he earned during ten years working in high-tech jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area and at least two bank accounts in Saudi Arabia. He also appears to have considerable support from a foreign government.”
A federal judge in San Francisco agreed with prosecutors on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) and rejected a request from Alfozan’s lawyers to let him stay at home while his case continues. His next court date is in November.
Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, told the court that his client had strong ties to the United States and was “weeks away from achieving every immigrant’s dream” of becoming an American citizen.
Alfozan had an interview with federal officials about becoming a US citizen scheduled for next month, his lawyers said in court documents. They said he had been a lawful permanent resident since 2020, had lived in the United States for 15 years and had studied at MIT and the University of California, Berkeley.
The device was allegedly hidden inside toilet paper and attached behind a television in an OpenAI meeting room. US Justice Department
Prosecutors said Saudi officials bought new plane tickets for Alfozan’s wife and son after his arrest. This allowed them to leave the United States earlier than the October 12 flight Alfozan had originally booked.
Prosecutors have not said what Alfozan may have planned to do with the recordings. However, they said he was in “frequent communication” with a member of the Saudi royal family.
They said the royal family member repeatedly tried to persuade Alfozan to join an artificial intelligence business being started in Saudi Arabia.
Prosecutors said Alfozan hid an audio recording device inside toilet paper and plugged it into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive meeting room at OpenAI’s offices in San Francisco. He did not have permission to enter the room.
They said security cameras recorded him entering the room and checking behind the television after he installed the device. It stayed there for several days before someone found it on September 30.
Alfozan has been charged with using or trying to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to secretly record spoken conversations. If he is found guilty, he could face five years in prison.