This week, a recorder wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into a TV in an OpenAI executive conference room put an engineer in federal court. Prosecutors allege Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, planted the device and later appeared to look behind the TV.
OpenAI says it used its models to analyze the device and identify the employee it believes planted it. The company then referred the case to the FBI.
A Paper Trail That Started Long Before the Toilet Paper
The complaint lays out the case date by date.
- July 2025: Alfozan, a Saudi national, has worked as an OpenAI engineer since around this month.
- August 17 to September 16: He allegedly asks a productivity tool about meeting rooms, calendars, and where executives meet.
- September 8 to 29: Office cameras place him near the room on 10 dates, though he had no authority to enter.
- September 24 to 30: A chatbot account tied to his spouse allegedly asks about building an audio recorder and encrypting an SD card.
- September 27 and 28: The same account allegedly references the recovered device’s Media Access Control (MAC) address, a network hardware identifier.
- September 28: OpenAI dates the device’s installation to around this day.
- September 30: Staff finds the recorder wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into the back of a TV.
- October 5: Cameras show him appearing to look behind the TV. Security finds a second, similar recorder in a bag he left unattended.
- October 6: He collects the bag from Lost and Found, reports AirPods stolen, and does not ask about the recorder.
- October 9: Federal agents arrest him.
- October 13: The complaint is unsealed, and he makes his first court appearance.
Washington Frames the Arrest as a National Security Case
Prosecutors say the room regularly hosted talks on proprietary research, product plans, business development, and government engagements.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) tied the case to a presidential memorandum backing American superiority in super intelligence (SI). SI is the administration’s term for artificial intelligence.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau views protecting SI innovation as a top counterintelligence priority.
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OpenAI, which has fired Alfozan, also addressed what he may have reached.
“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” the team said.
The accused has been charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. The charge carries up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Alfozan remains in custody ahead of an October 19 detention hearing, and he is presumed innocent. The complaint does not allege that Alfozan acted for anyone else, and the FBI investigation remains ongoing.
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