Prosecutors Accuse Abdulrahman Alfozan Of Planting Recording Device At OpenAI San Francisco
Alleged OpenAI bugging
Federal prosecutors accused Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old engineer who used to work at OpenAI, of secretly placing a recording device in a meeting room for company executives at OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco.
OpenAI security staff found the device on September 30. It was plugged into the back of a TV in a conference room and hidden under toilet paper. A camera was also placed in the room.
Prosecutors said a video showed Alfozan entering the room on October 5 and appearing to look behind the television. The FBI arrested him on October 9, after OpenAI ended his contract.
Prosecutors argued that Alfozan's alleged actions could pose "a danger to the national security of the United States." At a hearing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, they asked the judge to keep him in custody without bail.
The BBC reported that court documents said Alfozan was due to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday. If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 (£188,000) fine.
Saudi links and risk of fleeing
Prosecutors told the court that Alfozan was in "frequent communications... with a member of the Saudi royal family." They said the contact continued as recently as October 5, four days before his arrest.
The court filing said the Saudi royal family member had tried to recruit Alfozan to work on an artificial intelligence project in Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors said the royal family member told him, "Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!"
Prosecutors also said a member of the Saudi military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for Alfozan's wife and son after his arrest. They used this trip as part of their argument that he might flee the United States.
The BBC reported that Alfozan's wife told FBI agents her U.S. visa was about to expire and that she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia." The court document said Alfozan planned to do the same.
CNBC reported that prosecutors asked a judge on Monday morning, local time, to keep Alfozan in custody without bail at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
What happens next
Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, asked the court to release him to home detention with GPS monitoring. He also asked for a bond co-signed by other people, backed by a written promise from the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Prosecutors argued that Alfozan had "ample resources" and "considerable support from a foreign government" that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. They urged the court to keep him in custody until his trial.
The BBC reported that the Saudi government had not immediately replied to the BBC's requests for comment. The FBI investigation is continuing, and Alfozan was due to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday.
CNBC said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California was asking a judge to keep Alfozan in custody without bail. It linked the request to his access at OpenAI, his connections to Saudi Arabia, and the departure of his wife and their 3-month-old baby.
Fox News reported that prosecutors warned Alfozan's alleged actions "could pose a danger to the national security of the United States." Investigators were looking into whether the alleged spying was meant to help a foreign government, benefit Alfozan's own business interests, or do both.