Judge Orders OpenAI Engineer Held Before Trial Over Alleged Recording Plot

A federal judge has ordered Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain in custody while he defends himself against allegations that he secretly recorded meetings at OpenAI, including meetings involving US government officials.

Prosecutor Misakian asked the court to detain Alfozan pending trial, arguing that he appeared to have “little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through.”

“While FBI agents confiscated Defendant’s Saudi passport when he was arrested, nothing will prevent Defendant from obtaining necessary travel documents and fleeing the United States once Defendant is released, with or without assistance from foreign governments that have assisted their nationals in similar circumstances,” Misakian’s filing argued.

On Monday, Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse agreed during a hearing that Alfozan would remain in custody while he continues his defense, Business Insider reported.

Why prosecutors say Alfozan could flee

At the time of his arrest, Alfozan was living at home in California with his family. After immigrating to the United States in 2009, he earned technical degrees from MIT and UC Berkeley.

Following more than a decade of work in Silicon Valley, OpenAI hired Alfozan “as an engineer with an annual base salary of $325,000 on or about July 2025,” according to the government’s court filing. He also received a “new hire stock grant of $2,200,000 in profit participation units.”

Alleged plan to leave the United States

According to the filing, the alleged conduct began months after Alfozan joined OpenAI. The company was preparing to give him paternity leave without detecting anything unusual.

Alfozan’s wife had an expired student visa, and he intended to use two months of paid leave to return permanently to Saudi Arabia with their baby, according to his court filing.

However, he missed his flight. Approximately two weeks before the scheduled departure, OpenAI discovered a recording device hidden in a conference room. The device had been present for “at least several days” and was installed during a secret meeting with US government officials, a court filing stated.

“For several days before and after the device was installed, OpenAI executives met with government officials in that very room,” the filing states. “Defendant’s conduct may pose a risk to the national security of the United States.”