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Judge Orders OpenAI Engineer Held in Office Recorder Case
U.S. Magistrate Judge orders former OpenAI engineer held in custody for alleged office recorder installation.
In brief
U.S. Magistrate Judge orders former OpenAI engineer held in custody for alleged office recorder installation. Former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan was held in custody after a U.S. magistrate judge found he risked fleeing while facing charges related to installing a concealed office recorder. Originally reported…
Judge Orders Custody
U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan held in custody Oct. 19 after finding he risked fleeing while facing a charge involving a concealed office recorder.
Prosecutors' Access Claims
Prosecutors say browsing history on Alfozan’s phone showed access to a folder labeled 'Saudi Gov Docs' on Oct. 4, and he exchanged messages with a Saudi royal family member in 2025 and 2026.
Recorder Installation Timeline
OpenAI discovered a recorder behind a conference-room television Sept. 30; prosecutors allege Alfozan installed it around Sept. 28, and staff found a similar device in his unattended bag about Oct. 5.
Flight and Payment Dispute
Alfozan planned a one-way flight to Riyadh on Oct. 12; his wife and son left the U.S. on Oct. 10 to Doha, Qatar, with prosecutors later saying they were in Saudi Arabia.
The key point
Former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan was held in custody after a U.S. magistrate judge found he risked fleeing while facing charges related to installing a concealed office recorder.
