Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges alleging he planted a listening device in the company’s San Francisco headquarters. Alfozan was held without bail after a judge deemed him a flight risk during a brief court appearance.
The charges stem from an October 9 arrest, when federal agents accused Alfozan of hiding a recording device behind a television in an OpenAI conference room. Prosecutors also cited his wife’s chatbot search history, which reportedly included prompts about building, testing, and concealing an audio recorder. Alfozan’s next hearing is scheduled for November 17.
Alfozan’s legal and personal background
Alfozan, who has lived in the U.S. since college, was a permanent legal resident with a green card and had been weeks away from a naturalization interview at the time of his arrest, according to his previous attorney. Before joining OpenAI, he worked at Facebook, the Y Combinator-backed startup Nash, and as a venture capital investor for a Saudi firm.
His lawyer, David Rizk, waived the reading of the indictment and entered the not-guilty plea on Alfozan’s behalf. Judge Peter Kang reminded Alfozan of his constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and to legal representation.
Details of the alleged incident
Federal prosecutors allege that Alfozan concealed a recording device wrapped in toilet paper behind a television in a conference room. The device was reportedly discovered during an internal investigation at OpenAI. The indictment charges him with one count of intercepting oral communications, a federal offense under U.S. law.
Neighbors in Millbrae, California, where Alfozan and his wife resided, described the couple as largely private but noted they occasionally hosted gatherings. The case has drawn attention due to Alfozan’s professional background and the sensitive nature of the allegations against a major AI research organization.