The FBI has arrested a Saudi national who worked as an engineer at OpenAI after he allegedly planted a covert recording device inside an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence company’s San Francisco office.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested on October 9 and made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, the US Department of Justice said.
Federal prosecutors have charged him with using or attempting to use an electronic or mechanical device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release.
Device Found Behind TV in Executive Conference Room
According to the criminal complaint, OpenAI personnel discovered the hidden recording device on September 30 during a security investigation.
The device had allegedly been inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room and concealed using toilet paper.
OpenAI determined that it had been installed around September 28. The device’s contents were encrypted.
The conference room was frequently used for discussions involving highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic information, including proprietary research, product plans, government engagements and business-development opportunities, according to prosecutors.
OpenAI Says Its AI Models Helped Trace Device
OpenAI said it used its own AI models to understand the device and help determine where it had come from.
“We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.
The company subsequently referred the matter to the FBI.
OpenAI said the investigation found no indication that Alfozan had improperly accessed or exfiltrated its model weights, source code or customer data.
The company terminated his employment following the incident.
Chatbot Queries Allegedly Focused on Building Recording Device
According to the Justice Department, Alfozan had worked as an OpenAI engineer since July 2025.
Before the device was allegedly installed, prosecutors say he used a productivity tool to search for information about OpenAI’s offices, meeting rooms, room capacities, calendars, executive locations and meetings involving external partners.
A chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s spouse, which investigators say shared identifiers with his own account, also allegedly submitted prompts between September 24 and September 30 about constructing and customising a recording device.
The searches allegedly included questions about continuous audio recording, Wi-Fi connectivity, live listening, encrypting storage and remotely accessing a device.
Prosecutors said the same account also submitted queries containing technical details linked specifically to the device later found in the conference room.
CCTV Allegedly Showed Engineer Near Restricted Room
The complaint says CCTV footage showed Alfozan near the executive conference room on several occasions even though he was not authorised to access the room or participate in meetings held there.
On October 5, footage allegedly showed him entering the conference room and looking behind the television where the first recording device had been discovered.
By that stage, OpenAI had installed additional surveillance equipment in the room as part of its investigation.
Second Recording Device Found in Bag
Prosecutors allege that Alfozan also left a bag unattended in another room at an OpenAI office on October 5.
Security personnel searched the bag and allegedly found his wallet, identification and a second recording device similar to the one discovered behind the television.
According to the complaint, Alfozan later recovered the bag from lost and found and reported that some personal belongings were missing, but did not mention the second recording device.
Investigators are continuing to examine the devices and related digital evidence.
FBI Says Case Involves Sensitive AI Communications
FBI Director Kash Patel said the device was allegedly intended to “secretly capture sensitive communications” concerning OpenAI’s advanced AI technology.
US Attorney Craig Missakian described protecting Silicon Valley technology as a national-security priority and said the case illustrated efforts to investigate alleged attempts to obtain sensitive US technology.
The criminal complaint, however, does not establish what Alfozan intended ultimately to do with any communications that might have been captured.
No Evidence of OpenAI Data Theft So Far
OpenAI has stressed that its investigation has so far found no evidence that model weights, source code or customer information were stolen.
That distinction is important because the criminal charge concerns the alleged attempt to intercept private oral communications, rather than an established theft of OpenAI’s proprietary AI systems or customer data.
Alfozan remains in federal custody and is scheduled to appear in court again on October 19 for a detention hearing.
The FBI investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against him will have to be proven in court.
