Judge jails ex-OpenAI engineer accused of bugging executives; prosecutors say Saudi official flew his family out

Prosecutors say Alfozan hid an encrypted recorder in an executive conference room on Sept. 28. He was paid $385,000 a year. They also cite his frequent contact with a Saudi royal. The royal urged him to join a Saudi AI initiative. But prosecutors do not claim Riyadh ordered the bugging.

Key facts:

• Oct. 9: FBI arrested Alfozan three days before his scheduled one-way flight to Riyadh (BBC).
• Prosecutors say a Saudi military official paid for his wife and son's one-way flight out after the arrest (CBS); the defense says her sister's husband, who works for the Saudi navy, booked it in a personal capacity (WIRED).
• Monday, Oct. 19: Magistrate Judge Alex Tse ordered him held as a flight risk, calling a Saudi consulate offer to fund his bond "a blank check" (WIRED).
• Maximum penalty if convicted: 5 years in prison plus a fine (BBC).