Federal prosecutors have charged former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, with using or endeavouring to use a device to intercept oral communications, after a recording device was found plugged into a TV USB port in an executive conference room used for highly confidential technical and strategic discussions, the Justice Department said. OpenAI said it fired him, used its own AI models to help identify who planted the device, and referred the matter to the FBI; he was arrested on Friday and appeared in federal court on Tuesday. The company said there were no indications he had inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data, and the investigation is ongoing.
Former OpenAI engineer charged over conference room recording device
A former OpenAI engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, has been charged in federal court with using a device to intercept oral communications after a recording device was found in an executive conference room, the Justice Department said.
Why it matters: The case puts insider risk at a frontier AI lab into a federal courtroom, though OpenAI says there is no indication the device was used to reach model weights, source code or customer data.
Data as of Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The Verge report, incorporating the Justice Department release, read in full; TechCrunch reports the same arrest and charge. The account of the device, the CCTV footage and the second device is the Justice Department's allegation; Alfozan has been charged, not convicted. Developing item, 2 to 3 sentences by design.
Sources
- OpenAI employee arrested for allegedly planting a bug in a conference room · The Verge · 2026-10-13
- FBI arrests OpenAI employee accused of planting hidden recording device in conference room · TechCrunch · 2026-10-13