Former OpenAI Engineer Charged with Bugging Conference Room Planned to Flee to Saudi Arabia

A former engineer at the artificial intelligence company OpenAI has been accused of secretly installing a recording device in an executive conference room, and prosecutors claim he was planning to flee to Saudi Arabia before his arrest. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, is charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors revealed that Alfozan had been ‘mere days’ away from leaving the country when he was arrested last week. His wife and young son also left the United States on a one-way ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official just after his arrest. The prosecutors claim that Alfozan has ample resources, including significant compensation from his decade-long high-tech employment in the Bay Area and at least two bank accounts in Saudi Arabia.

The federal judge in San Francisco denied Alfozan’s lawyers’ request to release him to home confinement on Monday. His next court date is set for November. Prosecutors argued that Alfozan has little incentive to remain in the United States, given his connections to Saudi Arabia and access to significant financial resources.

Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, argued that his client had strong ties to the US and was ‘weeks away from achieving every immigrant’s dream’ – U.S. citizenship. Alfozan has been a lawful permanent resident since 2020 and has lived in the country for 15 years. He attended MIT and the University of California, Berkeley, before working at OpenAI.

Prosecutors claim that Alfozan concealed an audio recording device in toilet paper and plugged it into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room he wasn’t authorized to access. Security cameras captured him entering the room and checking behind the television after installing the device. It remained there for several days before being found on September 30.

The conference room was typically used for meetings involving company leaders, government officials, and other executives, where highly confidential technical, commercial, and strategic information is discussed. This includes proprietary research and nonpublic information. OpenAI has stated that the recording device Alfozan used was sophisticated, designed to evade detection, with advanced encryption and audio-monitoring capabilities.

Prosecutors also claim that Alfozan planned to place other listening devices elsewhere in the office. They have not said what he might have wanted to do with the recordings but say he was in ‘frequent communication’ with a member of the Saudi royal family. This individual repeatedly tried to recruit Alfozan to an artificial intelligence venture being launched in Saudi Arabia.

Alfozan had told this person that he wouldn’t leave OpenAI until his stock was vested, even as he explored other career opportunities in the Middle Eastern kingdom. He worked at OpenAI since July 2025 but was fired after his arrest. Prosecutors say Alfozan concealed an audio recording device in toilet paper and plugged it into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room.

Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, said he is disappointed with the outcome of the hearing regarding detention. He stated that they will pursue this issue further and hope Mr. Alfozan will be free soon.