The complaint, filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, alleges that OpenAI employees discovered a hidden recorder on September 30. The device was plugged into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room, concealed in toilet paper, and its contents were encrypted. Prosecutors said the room was frequently used for discussions involving confidential research, product plans, business strategy, government engagements and commercial relationships.
OpenAI determined the device had been installed around September 28. Surveillance footage showed Alfozan near the conference room on multiple occasions before the discovery, despite having no authorization to access it or attend meetings there, the complaint alleges.
Investigators also examined inquiries made through a productivity tool about building addresses, meeting rooms, calendars, and the locations of leadership and external partner meetings. A chatbot account associated with Alfozan's spouse, which shared identifiers with his own account, submitted prompts about building and concealing a continuous audio recorder, adding Wi-Fi connectivity, listening remotely and encrypting its memory card, according to the complaint. The account also submitted questions containing details specific to the recovered device, including its unique network identifier, on September 27 and 28.
On October 5, Alfozan entered the conference room and appeared to look behind the television where the recorder had been installed. That same day, security personnel found an unattended bag containing his wallet, identification and another similar recording device.
"We referred the matter to the FBI, and we're grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest," OpenAI said in a statement. "The FBI's investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work."
The company said it had no indications that the employee improperly accessed or removed AI model weights, source code or customer data. Alfozan is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release if convicted.