Photo of Abdulrahman Alfozan checking a recording device in OpenAI’s office in San Francisco, according to the Department of Justice.
Courtesy: U.S. Department of Justice
The Saudi national charged with planting a listening device in the headquarters of OpenAI while he worked there pleaded not guilty on Friday during an appearance in San Francisco federal court.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was sent back to jail after the brief hearing. Alfozan has been held without bail since his arrest on a criminal complaint in early October.
He faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison if convicted in the case.
A grand jury indicted Alfozan on Oct. 27 on a single count of interception of oral communications, court records show.
Prosecutors say that he put a recording device in a television in an executive conference room at OpenAI’s offices in San Francisco on Sept. 28.
Alfozan’s lawyer declined to comment after the hearing before Magistrate Judge Peter Kang.
The judge ordered Alfozan to next appear in court on Nov. 17.
Alfozan is a venture partner in a Saudi Arabian venture capital firm, Raed Ventures.
“He currently serves as Engineering Lead at OpenAI, with a focus on AI Agents and the data platform,” Alfozan’s bio page on Raed’s site says.
Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family, is a venture partner in the same firm.
— Jordan Novet reported from San Francisco