Federal prosecutors charge ex-OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan with hiding a recording device in an executive conference room

Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national at OpenAI since July 2025, allegedly hid an encrypted recorder, wrapped in toilet paper, in a TV's USB port in a room where OpenAI leaders discuss research, products and government work, per the Justice Department. What he's charged with. One wiretap-law count: using or trying to use a device to intercept private conversations. Arrested Friday, Oct. 9; first court appearance Tuesday, Oct. 13. How it was found. Staff found the device Sept. 30, about two days after it went in. OpenAI says its AI models helped trace it to him; it alerted the FBI and fired him, per the BBC. The catch. The contents were encrypted, and DOJ has not said any audio was recovered. OpenAI sees no sign model weights, source code or customer data were taken. Officials call it a national-security case, but the public allegations name no foreign government, buyer or motive, Newsweek notes. What next. A judge decides Oct. 19 whether he stays jailed until trial.

What the complaint cites:

• Security footage of him near the room, which he had no authority to enter.
• Prompts from a chatbot account tied to his spouse on building a hidden recorder, including the planted device's network ID.
• A second recorder found in his unattended bag on Oct. 5, per the Justice Department.