Investigators are examining whether the suspect intended to offer confidential company information to Saudi Arabia
The FBI is examining whether a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging an executive meeting room intended to offer secrets to Saudi Arabia.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is weighing an economic espionage charge against a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a restricted conference room, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing a law-enforcement official.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, was arrested on October 9 after OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, discovered an encrypted recorder behind a television in an executive meeting room at its San Francisco offices. He is currently charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, an offense carrying up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Investigators are now examining whether Alfozan stole information to offer to the Saudi government, even without having been recruited to do so, according to the WSJ. He is also reportedly being investigated for possible trade secret theft. An economic espionage conviction could carry up to 15 years in prison and a $5 million fine per count.
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