An OpenAI engineer was arrested after the company discovered a covert audio-recording device hidden in an executive conference room at its San Francisco offices, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors identified the defendant as Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national who had worked at OpenAI since July 2025. He was arrested on Oct. 9 and made his initial appearance in federal court on Oct. 13.
The criminal complaint alleges that OpenAI personnel found the first device on or about Sept. 30, inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room. The device was concealed in toilet paper and had apparently been installed around Sept. 28. Prosecutors said its contents were encrypted. OpenAI fired Alfozan and referred the matter to the FBI, which continued the investigation.
Alfozan is charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications. The charge is not a software vulnerability or a conventional network intrusion, so there is no associated CVE, CVSS rating or vendor security patch. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. The allegations remain unproven unless established in court.
According to the complaint, the room regularly hosted discussions involving proprietary research, product plans, business opportunities, technical capabilities, government engagements and commercial relationships. Investigators also allege that workplace footage placed Alfozan near the room before the device was discovered, despite his having no authority to attend meetings there.
Prosecutors further allege that prompts submitted through productivity and chatbot accounts associated with Alfozan and his spouse sought information about OpenAI buildings, meeting rooms, audio recording, encryption, live listening and remote access. On Oct. 5, security personnel allegedly found a second, similar recording device in an unattended bag containing Alfozan’s identification and other belongings. The complaint does not establish that either device successfully captured a meeting or that confidential information was exfiltrated.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau viewed the alleged recording as an effort to obtain sensitive information about OpenAI’s “super intelligence” technology and described protecting U.S. artificial-intelligence innovation as a counterintelligence priority. For companies handling trade secrets, the case underscores the need for layered physical security: controlled access to sensitive rooms, routine technical-surveillance sweeps, camera review, asset inventories and prompt preservation of device and account evidence. Organizations should also coordinate with counsel and law enforcement before examining suspected recording equipment, while avoiding conclusions about motive or data loss until investigators complete their work.
