US charges Saudi OpenAI engineer over alleged office bugging

Federal prosecutors have charged an OpenAI engineer with secretly recording conversations inside the company’s San Francisco headquarters. The alleged method was a covert audio device hidden behind a television in an executive conference room.

The engineer is Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old from Saudi Arabia. The case lands at a moment when Washington openly treats advanced AI as a national security asset, and the people building it as potential targets.

A recorder, a TV, and some toilet paper

Prosecutors in the Northern District of California brought the case on October 9, 2026. Alfozan faces one count of intercepting oral communications.

The device at the center of the case was found on September 30, 2026. It was plugged into a USB port behind a TV and wrapped in toilet paper.

The location was anything but casual. The room was used for sensitive discussions, including proprietary research and strategic business plans, and the hidden device was a clear breach of the firm’s security protocols.

OpenAI reportedly used its own AI models to help identify both the unauthorized device and the person responsible.

On October 5, investigators found a second, similar audio recording device in an unattended bag linked to Alfozan, which also held his wallet and ID.

The arrest and what he faces

Once the FBI was alerted, the case moved quickly. OpenAI fired Alfozan immediately before his arrest on October 9.

He made his first court appearance on October 13. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.

Investigators also turned up online research about how to build devices like the ones found. Some of those queries were connected to accounts reportedly tied to Alfozan or his spouse.

Alfozan joined OpenAI’s product team in July 2025.

No data taken, according to OpenAI

The company said it found no evidence that proprietary information or customer data was exfiltrated. The research also indicates no sign that Alfozan accessed or pulled any proprietary data from OpenAI’s systems.

Counterintelligence comes for AI

The case is being handled by the National Security, Cyber & Special Prosecutions Section of the US Attorney’s Office.

FBI Director Kash Patel has framed protecting US AI, including what he called “super intelligence,” as a key counterintelligence priority.

The prosecution does not, based on the available record, allege who the recordings were meant for or why. No foreign government or competitor has been named in connection with the charge.