Ex-OpenAI worker accused of bugging conference room planned to fly to Saudi Arabia, prosecutors say

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former OpenAI engineer accused of secretly placing a recording device in a conference room to collect company information was just days away from leaving for Saudi Arabia before his arrest last week, federal prosecutors said in new court papers.

Abdulrahman Alfozan's wife and young son also left the United States the day after the 35-year-old Saudi citizen was arrested. Prosecutors said they traveled on a one-way ticket that a Saudi military official had booked and paid for. In a court filing on Sunday, prosecutors asked a judge to keep Alfozan in custody.

Prosecutors argued that Alfozan had little reason to stay in the United States and face the case. They said he had plenty of money, including significant pay from a decade of working in the technology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area and at least two bank accounts in Saudi Arabia. They also said he appeared to have strong support from a foreign government.

A federal judge in San Francisco sided with prosecutors on Monday and denied Alfozan's lawyers' request to release him to home confinement. His next court date is in November.

Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, argued in court that his client had strong ties to the United States and was only weeks away from achieving what he called every immigrant's dream: U.S. citizenship.

Alfozan had a naturalization interview with federal officials scheduled for next month. His lawyers said he has been a lawful permanent resident since 2011. They also said he had lived in the United States for 15 years and attended MIT and the University of California, Berkeley.

Pernik said Alfozan was willing to give up almost all his assets, including about $10 million in a U.S. investment account, to pay for his release on bail.

“Everything this man has, he's willing to surrender,” Pernik said. He added that Alfozan's wife was also willing to return to the United States. She still has a visitor visa that expires in 2027.

Judge Alex Tse appeared doubtful, asking whether the Saudi government would simply repay Alfozan if he fled and gave up his bail money.

After the hearing, Pernik said he was disappointed with the decision but declined to comment further.

Pernik had argued in court papers that Alfozan bought one-way tickets for his family to travel to Saudi Arabia more than two weeks before prosecutors alleged the recording devices were installed. He said the couple planned to spend about two months in Saudi Arabia on parental leave after the birth of their U.S.-citizen son.

But 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 sooner than the Oct. 12 flight Alfozan had originally booked.

Prosecutors have not said what Alfozan may have wanted to do with the recordings. However, they said he was in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family. They also said the royal family member repeatedly tried to recruit Alfozan for an artificial intelligence business being started in Saudi Arabia.

Prosecutors wrote that Alfozan told the unnamed person he would not leave OpenAI until his stock had vested, meaning he had gained the right to keep the shares or benefits he had been promised. They said he was also exploring other job opportunities in the Middle East. Alfozan had worked at an artificial intelligence company called the ChatGPT maker since July 2023 but was fired after his arrest.

Prosecutors said Alfozan hid an audio recording device inside toilet paper and attached it to a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room he was not allowed to enter. They said security cameras recorded him entering the room and checking behind the television after installing the device. It remained there for several days before it was found on Sept. 30.

Prosecutors said company leaders used the conference room for meetings with government officials and other executives. These meetings included discussions about highly secret technical, business and strategic information, including research owned by the company, as well as information that had not been made public.

OpenAI said the recording device Alfozan allegedly used was advanced and designed to avoid detection. The company said it had strong encryption and advanced audio-monitoring features. Prosecutors also said they had evidence that Alfozan planned to place other listening devices in different parts of the office.

Alfozan has been charged with using or trying to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to secretly listen to private spoken conversations. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.

Marcelo reported from New York.

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