OpenAI engineer charged over hidden recorder, DOJ says

An OpenAI engineer has been charged with using a device to intercept oral communications after allegedly planting a hidden audio recorder in an executive conference room at the company, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 13 release.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested Oct. 9. He made his initial appearance in federal court Oct. 13, the release says.

He is charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications. A complaint is only an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

What the complaint alleges

The engineer had worked at OpenAI since July 2025, according to the complaint.

On or about Sept. 30, OpenAI staff found a recording device plugged into a USB port on the back of a television. It was in an executive conference room in one of the company’s San Francisco buildings. OpenAI determined that the device had been hidden in toilet paper and installed on or about Sept. 28 and that its contents were encrypted, according to the complaint.

Security camera footage showed the engineer near the room on multiple dates before the device was found, the complaint says. He had no authority to access the room or join its meetings.

Before Sept. 28, he allegedly used a productivity tool to ask about OpenAI’s building addresses, meeting rooms and calendars. A chatbot account tied to his spouse allegedly asked about “build[ing] a continuous audio recorder” and “encrypt[ing] the SD card,” according to the complaint.

On Oct. 5, he allegedly entered the conference room and appeared to look behind the television, the complaint says. Around the same day, he allegedly left a bag unattended in another room. OpenAI security staff found a second, similar recording device inside, according to the complaint.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Who brought the charge

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California is prosecuting the case. The FBI is investigating.

“According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer’s executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence technology,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

“This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative — and why President Trump’s leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force is so important,” said Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton.

What it means for workers and founders

The case, as alleged, centers on an insider, not an outside hacker. The alleged device sat in a room where, according to the complaint, meetings often covered confidential research, product plans and business-development opportunities. For startups, the alleged facts point to physical security: who can enter sensitive rooms and what gets plugged into office hardware.