Ex-OpenAI engineer charged over recorder

The US Justice Department has charged an OpenAI engineer over a hidden audio recorder found at OpenAI. It said so on the 13th of October 2026.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a national of Saudi Arabia, was arrested on the 9th of October, the department said. He was in federal court on the 13th.

The charge is an accusation, and Alfozan is presumed innocent

He is charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications, the release said. The case rests on a complaint, a written charge.

Alfozan is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

His lawyer, William Pernik, said so too, CBS News reported on the 13th. He warned against "jumping to conclusions".

Below we break down what the complaint says, date by date

On or about the 30th of September, OpenAI staff found the device behind a television, the release said. It sat in a USB port in an executive conference room in San Francisco.

It was hidden in toilet paper and put there on or about the 28th of September, OpenAI found. Its contents were encrypted.

Cameras showed Alfozan near the room on several dates, the complaint says. He had no right to join its meetings.

On or about the 5th of October, OpenAI security found a second, similar device in his bag, the release said.

OpenAI says its models helped trace the device

"We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from," OpenAI told the Associated Press on the 13th.

OpenAI sees "no indications" that he took model weights, the values a model learns. It said the same of code and customer data.

OpenAI said the employee was terminated.

Up to 5 years in prison if convicted

The charge carries up to 5 years in prison and a 250,000 dollar fine, the release said. He is due back in court on the 19th of October, CBS News reported.

Key facts

Arrested on the 9th of October 2026, the Justice Department said.

The charge is an accusation. Alfozan is presumed innocent.

Device found on or about the 30th of September in San Francisco.

OpenAI sees no sign that weights, code or customer data were taken.

Maximum penalty: 5 years in prison and a 250,000 dollar fine.