Defendant Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, is due back in federal court Nov. 17 after pleading not guilty to a charge tied to an alleged recording device at OpenAI, CNBC reported.
An indictment returned Oct. 27 lists one count of intercepting oral communications, according to court records cited by CNBC. Prosecutors allege Alfozan placed a recording device in an executive conference room at OpenAI’s San Francisco office on Sept. 28.
CNBC reported that Alfozan was sent back to jail after Friday’s hearing and has been held without bail since his Oct. 9 arrest. U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Kang ordered the Nov. 17 appearance, the outlet reported. Alfozan’s lawyer declined to comment after the hearing, according to CNBC.
The charge carries a possible prison sentence of up to five years if Alfozan is convicted, CNBC reported. The outlet situated the case amid U.S. concerns about theft of AI technology as companies develop AI agents, and cited a June 2026 executive order on protecting U.S. intellectual property.
The hearing follows an earlier decision to keep Alfozan in custody, covered in EconoTimes’ report on the detention ruling.
