Saudi Engineer Arrested For Allegedly Planting Recording Device In OpenAI Executive Conference Room, Faces Up To Five Years In Prison

An OpenAI engineer has been arrested and charged with planting a hidden audio recorder in the company's executive conference room in San Francisco, the US Justice Department has confirmed. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, was arrested on October 9 and made his first appearance in federal court. The charge is unsealed from a criminal complaint, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.

What is Alfozan accused of?

According to the complaint, OpenAI staff found the recorder on September 30, plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in the executive conference room. It had been concealed in toilet paper. OpenAI determined it was installed around September 28 and that its contents were encrypted. The Justice Department says the room regularly hosts talks on proprietary research, product plans, government engagements and commercial relationships.

What the investigators allege

Alfozan joined OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025 and, according to the complaint, had no authority to enter or take part in meetings in that room. CCTV allegedly showed him near it on several dates before the discovery. Before September 28, the complaint says, he used a productivity tool to ask about OpenAI's buildings, meeting rooms, calendars and "leadership and exec" locations.

A chatbot account linked to his spouse also allegedly sent prompts between September 24 and 30 about building a "continuous audio recorder," improving "live listening" and encrypting an SD card. Between September 27 and 28, it allegedly asked about the specific device, including its unique MAC address. The release does not say the spouse has been charged.

On October 5, the complaint says, he went into the room and appeared to look behind the television. The same day, OpenAI security allegedly found his unattended bag in another room, holding his wallet, ID and a second, similar recorder.

What is the charge?

He is charged with using or trying to use a device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. The FBI is investigating the case.

OpenAI's response

OpenAI said it used its own models to understand the device and where it came from, and identified a specific employee. It referred the matter to the FBI. "We have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data," the company said. The employee was fired.

Published on: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 07:59 AM IST