A Saudi National Allegedly Bugged OpenAI Conference Room. He’s Facing Federal Charges.

A Saudi national and OpenAI employee faces federal charges after he allegedly tried to bug an OpenAI conference room.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested Oct. 9 on charges related to an alleged attempt to record a meeting surreptitiously.

"Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "Protecting American SI innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation's economic strength and national security, and the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities."

Alfozan worked at OpenAI since July 2025. According to federal prosecutors, toward the end of September of this year, OpenAI employees found an audio recording device inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room.

The device was concealed in toilet paper, and the company believes it had been placed sometime around Sept. 28. The device's contents were encrypted.

In reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, OpenAI discovered that Alfozan was near the conference room several times on the days leading up to the device's discovery. However, Alfozan was not participating in any meetings in the room and was not authorized to enter it.

Prosecutors said the conference room was used for meetings in which highly confidential information was discussed, including proprietary research, product plans, technical information, and other nonpublic information.

"The Bay Area and Silicon Valley lead the world in developing tomorrow's technology, and our Office will continue to stand at the forefront of protecting that American innovation," said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. "For us it is a matter of national security."

Federal authorities alleged that Alfozan also used a productivity tool to make inquiries regarding OpenAI building addresses, meeting rooms, calendars, and "leadership and exec" locations.

A chatbot account associated with Alfozan's spouse also submitted prompts between Sept. 24 and Sept. 30 related to building, installing, testing, and obfuscating a device that could be accessed remotely. The same chatbot account also submitted prompts specifically related to Recording Device 1, including its custom header and unique MAC address, between Sept. 27 and Sept. 28.

On Oct. 5, Alfozan entered the conference room and was photographed peeking behind the TV in which he had already inserted the recording device. Also on Oct. 5, Alfozan left a bag in a room at OpenAI. Inside, security found Alfozan's wallet, ID, and another recording device.

If convicted, Alfozan faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by 3 years of supervised release.