FBI Weighs Espionage Charges Against Ex-OpenAI Engineer With One-Way Tickets to Saudi Arabia

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is evaluating whether to bring economic espionage charges against Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer arrested in October for hiding a recording device in a company conference room. The probe, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, examines if Alfozan collected confidential data to pass to the Saudi government, even without a formal recruitment offer.

Alfozan, 35, is a Saudi national and United States permanent resident. He is currently facing a federal count of unlawfully intercepting communications, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years. Prosecutors are also looking into potential trade secret theft, though the investigation may not lead to extra prosecutions. His next court appearance is set for November 6.

Evidence shows Alfozan hid a small circuit board and microphone behind a television in a room primarily used by OpenAI executives. According to prosecutors, the last known WhatsApp exchange between Alfozan and an unidentified member of the Saudi royal family occurred on October 5. That same day, Alfozan returned to the room to retrieve the device. OpenAI security staff had already found and removed it, then alerted the FBI.

The royal family member had written in 2025 and 2026 that Saudi Arabia needed Alfozan more than the United States did. Alfozan replied with the number 100, indicating he would stay at OpenAI until his company shares vested. Prosecutors say they found frequent messaging between the two during that period.

Alfozan bought one-way tickets from Los Angeles to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul for himself, his wife, and their three-month-old son. He was arrested three days before the scheduled departure. His wife and son later flew to Qatar on business-class tickets paid for by a Saudi military official. Defense attorneys stated the official was the wife's brother-in-law and that no military funds were used. They also noted Alfozan often booked one-way flights.

At an October 19 detention hearing, US Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse questioned a letter from the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles offering to cover Alfozan's full bail bond. Judge Tse called the offer a blank check that seemed problematic. He denied bail because Alfozan posed a significant flight risk. Alfozan's attorney, William Pernik, said the client will fight the charges in court, not in the press, and noted there was no indication of additional charges.