FBI: 'Saudi Gov Docs' folder found on phone of ex-OpenAI engineer accused of espionage

The FBI said that after searching Alfozan's Alameda home, it found on his iPhone photos of at least one additional hidden recording device and photos of input/output panels of TVs and electronics across multiple OpenAI offices; on October 4 he accessed a folder named 'Saudi Gov Docs.' Prosecutors also say he used OpenAI's productivity agent to ask which people at OpenAI were suitable to attend a high-level informal meeting with a Saudi minister, requesting a list of 10 people with reasons. Prosecutors say Alfozan joined OpenAI as an engineer around July 2025 at a $325,000 salary plus $2.2 million in new-hire equity in profit-participation units; he had planned to fly one-way to Riyadh with his wife and child during paternity leave, with tickets paid by the Saudi government. OpenAI found the hidden recording device in a meeting room about two weeks before the flight booking; it had been in place for at least several days, including during a confidential meeting attended by US government officials. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ruled Monday that Alfozan will remain in custody during proceedings. Prosecutors currently charge him with illegal recording of OpenAI meetings, carrying a maximum five-year sentence, but say more serious charges may follow as evidence grows. OpenAI's security team, which safeguards meeting rooms and internal meetings, and enterprise IT departments that grant employees access to agent query logs need to reassess the risk of such internal tools being misused to scout physical spaces and personnel.