Federal prosecutors have charged OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan with using or trying to use a device to intercept oral communications. The Justice Department said the 35-year-old Saudi national was arrested Oct. 9 and made his first federal court appearance Oct. 13.
According to the criminal complaint, OpenAI personnel found an encrypted audio recorder on Sept. 30. It had been concealed in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco office. Prosecutors allege it was installed around Sept. 28.
The complaint says internal surveillance footage showed Alfozan near the room on several dates even though he was not authorized to access it. Prosecutors also allege that he searched for office locations, meeting-room details and executive calendars, while a chatbot account associated with his spouse asked about building and concealing audio-recording equipment. Another similar device was later found in a bag with his wallet and identification, according to the complaint.
The Associated Press reported that OpenAI said it used its models to understand the device and trace it to a specific employee. The company fired Alfozan and said it had no indication he improperly accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data. The FBI investigation remains open. AP noted that the complaint does not explain what Alfozan intended to do with any recordings, and it was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer available to comment.
