OpenAI Engineer Accused of Spying on Executives Ordered to Remain in Custody

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The former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a company conference room must stay in custody while he awaits trial, a federal judge ruled on Monday after expressing concerns about his ties to Saudi Arabia.

一名被指控在公司会议室安装窃听器的前 OpenAI 工程师必须在候审期间继续被羁押。联邦法官周一作出裁决，并对其与沙特阿拉伯的联系表示担忧。

US prosecutors alleged Abdulrahman Alfozan is a flight risk because the Saudi Arabian government has offered to support him with no strings attached. They cited, for example, the Saudi consulate’s offer to work with a bail bonds firm to help fund Alfozan’s release.

美国检察官称，阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·阿尔福赞（Abdulrahman Alfozan）有潜逃风险，因为沙特阿拉伯政府已提出无条件支持他。他们举例指出，沙特领事馆曾提出与保释担保公司合作，协助资助阿尔福赞的保释。

Federal magistrate judge Alex Tse questioned whether Alfozan is an “asset” for the kingdom and how a bond backed by the government could keep him in the country. “I find that problematic,” Tse said. “It seems like a blank check. ‘We’re going to pay whatever the court wants to get him out.’ I’m more interested in people from his family wanting to put up assets.”

联邦治安法官亚历克斯·谢（Alex Tse）质疑阿尔福赞是否是该王国的“资产”，以及由政府担保的保释金如何能确保他留在国内。“我觉得这有问题，”谢法官说。“这看起来像是一张空白支票。‘法院要多少钱我们就付多少钱，把他弄出来。’我更感兴趣的是他的家人愿意提供资产。”

William Pernik, an attorney for Alfozan, dismissed the flight risk worries as baseless. But he failed to convince the judge that Alfozan was committed to his life in the US. “There is a real threat here that once he leaves the case is over,” Tse said.

阿尔福赞的律师威廉·佩尼克（William Pernik）驳斥了有关潜逃风险的担忧，称其毫无根据。但他未能说服法官相信阿尔福赞会留在美国生活。谢法官表示：“这里存在一个真正的威胁，即一旦他离开，案件就结束了。”

Aflozan appeared in an orange prison uniform and a medical face mask pulled down over his neck on Monday in Tse’s San Francisco courtroom, which was filled to capacity with journalists, students on a field trip, and about 20 people supporting Alfozan.

周一，阿尔福赞身穿橙色囚服，戴着拉到脖子上的医用口罩，出现在谢法官位于旧金山的法庭上。法庭内座无虚席，挤满了记者、参加实地考察的学生以及约 20 名支持阿尔福赞的人士。

Employee attempts to steal confidential company information are common in Silicon Valley. But Alfozan’s case has drawn international attention for the alleged amateur spycraft and geopolitical tensions at the center of it. Authorities haven’t offered a potential motive but have noted Alfozan has worked for a Saudi venture capital firm, offered consulting services to Saudi companies, and is supposedly friendly with people high up in the Saudi government.

在硅谷，员工窃取公司机密信息的企图屡见不鲜。但阿尔福赞的案件因其涉嫌的业余间谍活动以及核心的地缘政治紧张局势而引起了国际关注。当局尚未提供潜在动机，但指出阿尔福赞曾为一家沙特风险投资公司工作，为沙特公司提供咨询服务，并据称与沙特政府高层人士关系友好。

Pernik said there is no evidence of Alfozan spying for Saudi Arabia or engaging in something covert. “It’s not as if he sneaked in under the covers of darkness,” he said of the OpenAI conference room. “This was an open room where anybody could work in.”

佩尼克表示，没有证据表明阿尔福赞为沙特阿拉伯从事间谍活动或参与任何秘密行动。在谈到 OpenAI 会议室时，他说：“他并不是在夜幕掩护下溜进去的。这是一个任何人都可以进去工作的开放房间。”

After the hour-long hearing, Pernik told reporters he was disappointed with the custody ruling and would continue to try to fight it.

在一小时的听证会结束后，佩尼克告诉记者，他对羁押裁决感到失望，并将继续努力抗争。

While Alfozan is a US permanent resident who had been on the path to obtaining citizenship, his ties to his native Saudi Arabia have come under scrutiny. Prosecutors allege that Alfozan was “in frequent communications via WhatsApp” with a member of the Saudi royal family throughout 2025 and 2026.

尽管阿尔福赞是美国永久居民，且一直处于获得公民身份的进程中，但他与祖国沙特阿拉伯的联系已受到审查。检察官指控阿尔福赞在 2025 年和 2026 年期间“通过 WhatsApp 与沙特王室成员频繁联系”。

The Saudi royal, who is not identified, was allegedly recruiting Alfozan to return to the country for a job working on a forthcoming AI initiative, according to a court filing. “Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” the individual wrote to Alfozan this past May, per the filing. Alfozan allegedly “responded ‘100,’ indicating he agreed.”

根据法庭文件，这名未具名的沙特王室成员据称正在招募阿尔福赞回国，参与一项即将开展的人工智能计划。据文件显示，此人在今年五月写给阿尔福赞的信息中称：“沙特比美国更需要你！”阿尔福赞据称“回复了‘100’，表示同意”。

US authorities also allege that the Saudi government bought Alfozan’s wife and infant son a ticket to return to the country a few days after his arrest. She ended up leaving sooner on another flight booked by her sister’s husband, who works for the Saudi navy, according to attorneys for both sides.

美国当局还指控，在阿尔福赞被捕几天后，沙特政府为其妻子和幼子购买了回国机票。据双方律师称，她最终通过其姐姐的丈夫（在沙特海军工作）预订的另一架航班提前离开了。

Alfozan’s wife has not been accused of wrongdoing, and the FBI last week declined to comment on whether she would face any charges.

阿尔福赞的妻子并未被指控有不当行为，联邦调查局上周拒绝就她是否会面临任何指控发表评论。

Alfozan was at OpenAI for just over a year when the AI lab discovered a covert audio recording device hidden in a wad of toilet paper behind a TV in an executive conference room used for confidential business meetings. OpenAI found the device in late September, connected it to Alfozan, and then fired him earlier this month just before the FBI arrested him.

阿尔福赞在 OpenAI 工作了一年多，随后该人工智能实验室在一个用于机密商务会议的高管会议室里，发现了一个藏在电视机后一团卫生纸里的隐蔽录音设备。OpenAI 在 9 月下旬发现了该设备，将其与阿尔福赞联系起来，并在本月初联邦调查局逮捕他之前将其解雇。

Alfozan faces five years in prison on a single count of using a device to intercept communications, but prosecutors say additional charges are possible. Included among the government’s evidence are alleged conversations between Alfozan and an AI chatbot in which he asked for help setting up listening devices. Prosecutors also produced a photo taken of Alfozan looking behind the TV after OpenAI had removed the recorder. It’s unclear what, if anything, was recorded, because the device’s data was encrypted, according to authorities.

阿尔福赞因一项使用设备拦截通讯的罪名面临五年监禁，但检察官表示可能会有额外指控。政府提供的证据包括阿尔福赞与人工智能聊天机器人之间的对话，他在对话中寻求设置监听设备的帮助。检察官还出示了一张照片，显示在 OpenAI 移走录音机后，阿尔福赞查看电视机后方的情景。据当局称，由于设备数据已加密，目前尚不清楚录制了什么内容（如果有的话）。

Authorities say they also found components for recording devices at Alfozan’s home and photos of other OpenAI monitors and another OpenAI conference room on his phone. OpenAI previously said it recovered a second listening device in a bag Alfozan brought to the office and left unattended.

当局表示，他们还在阿尔福赞家中发现了录音设备组件，并在他的手机中发现了其他 OpenAI 显示器和另一个 OpenAI 会议室的照片。OpenAI 此前曾表示，在阿尔福赞带到办公室并无人看管的一个包里，发现了第二个监听设备。

Pernik claimed the electronics at Alfozan’s home were for home monitoring projects, including trying to improve a smart litter box for their cat. “This is a gentleman who spent 15 years of life immersed at this intersection of technology and personal life,” Pernik told the judge.

佩尼克声称，阿尔福赞家中的电子产品是用于家庭监控项目，包括尝试改进他们猫用的智能猫砂盆。“这位先生花了 15 年时间沉浸在技术与个人生活的交汇处，”佩尼克告诉法官。

Authorities said ahead of the hearing that they believed Alfozan had the means to flee. They cited the $385,000 salary and $2.2 million profit-sharing package he received while working at OpenAI as well as other funds he earned from previous gigs at Meta and other US tech companies.

当局在听证会前表示，他们认为阿尔福赞有能力潜逃。他们提到了他在 OpenAI 工作期间获得的 38.5 万美元薪水和 220 万美元的利润分享计划，以及他此前在 Meta 和其他美国科技公司工作所赚取的其他资金。

According to Alfozan’s attorneys, his wife needed to leave the US to renew her American student visa. Alfozan had planned to accompany her on the trip before being arrested. They had a one-way ticket to Riyadh, which Alfozan’s attorneys said was typical for him because he sometimes had to return earlier than planned for work.

据阿尔福赞的律师称，他的妻子需要离开美国以续签她的美国学生签证。阿尔福赞在被捕前曾计划陪同她前往。他们持有前往利雅得的单程票，阿尔福赞的律师称这对他来说很常见，因为他有时不得不因工作原因提前返回。

Nas Yasin, another attorney for Alfozan, said his wife’s flight was booked by her sister’s husband in his personal capacity. Yasin added that Alfozan’s wife had just secured a visitor visa from the US and planned to return to California from Saudi Arabia as soon as Tuesday. Alfozan’s next court date is scheduled for November.

阿尔福赞的另一位律师纳斯·亚辛（Nas Yasin）表示，他妻子的航班是由她姐姐的丈夫以个人名义预订的。亚辛补充说，阿尔福赞的妻子刚刚获得了美国的访客签证，并计划最早于周二从沙特阿拉伯返回加利福尼亚。阿尔福赞的下一次出庭日期定于 11 月。