A former OpenAI engineer has been charged with hiding a recording device in a meeting room used by top staff at the company's San Francisco office, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, is from Saudi Arabia. He had worked at OpenAI since July 2025.

Prosecutors say Alfozan installed the device on or around Sept. 28. It was wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into the USB port of a TV in a conference room where executives discuss highly confidential plans. Staff found it on Sept. 30, and its contents were encrypted, The Verge reported.

OpenAI said it used its own AI models to study the device and to figure out which worker had planted it. Prosecutors say camera footage showed Alfozan near the room on several days, even though he was not allowed inside. On Oct. 5, security staff opened a bag he had left in another part of the building. Inside, they found his wallet, his ID and a second device like the first one, the Justice Department said.

Alfozan was arrested on Friday, Oct. 9, and he made his first court appearance on Tuesday. He is charged with trying to intercept spoken conversations, a crime that carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

OpenAI said it fired him. The company said it has seen no sign that he got into or took its model weights, source code or customer data, which are the most valuable parts of its business.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the goal was to capture sensitive talks about the company's AI work. "Protecting American SI innovation is essential," he said in a Justice Department statement, using a short term for super intelligence.

What we know: Alfozan is charged over a hidden device found in an OpenAI executive meeting room, and he has been fired.
What we don't: What the device recorded and why he placed it.