US prosecutors say Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national arrested for planting a recording device in OpenAI's conference room, received "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court filing in California.
Prosecutors claim Alfozan maintained "frequent communication" with a member of the Saudi royal family. They also say a Saudi military official paid for a one-way business class flight to Doha, Qatar for Alfozan's wife and son after his arrest on October 9. The filing argues these connections make him a flight risk.
Alfozan, 35, worked at OpenAI for about a year. On September 30, the company discovered an audio recorder plugged behind a television in a conference room and covered with toilet paper. Security cameras recorded Alfozan entering the room on October 5 and appearing to look behind the television where the device was placed. The FBI arrested him four days later.
The timing raised concern among prosecutors. Alfozan had been scheduled to fly to Riyadh on a one-way ticket with his family on October 12, three days after his arrest. His wife told FBI agents that her US visa was expiring and the family was "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia." The one-way flight for his wife and son departed October 10.
Prosecutors argued in the filing that Alfozan posed a danger to national security because OpenAI executives met with government officials in that conference room during the days the recording device was believed to be installed. They stated the defendant "has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through."
Alfozan faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Monday. The Saudi government has not responded to requests for comment on the allegations.