(San Francisco = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kwon Young-jeon = A Saudi Arabian employee detained on charges of installing a wiretapping device in the Open AI executive conference room filed an application for bail in court, but it was rejected.
The Associated Press and AFP reported on the 19th (local time) that Judge Alex Che of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected the bail application of the defendant, Abdulrahman Alfozan (35), a former Open AI engineer.
Judge Che ordered Alfozhan to remain in custody, citing concerns of flight, saying "there is a significant risk that he will not appear in court."
Alfozan's side offered to post bail of about $1 million (approximately 1.3 billion won), all of his assets in his account in the United States, and accept wearing an electronic ankle bracelet and house arrest, but the court did not accept this, citing the possibility that the Saudi government would compensate him for the bail if he ran away.
He could face up to five years in prison if found guilty.
Previously, federal prosecutors revealed in a request to maintain detention submitted to the court that the defendant, Abdulrahman Alfozan (35), a former Open AI engineer, had been in frequent contact with members of the Saudi royal family through WhatsApp messenger since last year.
This Saudi royal family member attempted to recruit Alfozan to the artificial intelligence (AI) plan being promoted in the country and said, "Saudi Arabia needs you more than the United States," and Alfozan agreed, replying 100%.
However, he said he would not leave until the stocks he received from Open AI became available for vesting.
It was found that there was direct support from the Saudi government and military in the process of Alfozan's wife and son escaping from the United States immediately after he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the 9th.
The family had originally planned to head to Riyadh together on the 12th, but when Alfozan was arrested, only his wife and son departed the country on a one-way business flight to Qatar the next day, on the 10th. It was revealed that the ticket had been booked and paid for by a Saudi military official.
In an FBI investigation before leaving the country, his wife stated, "My U.S. visa has expired and I am returning to Saudi Arabia permanently," and "My husband also planned to return to Saudi Arabia and live with us."
The prosecution argued that the defendant should be detained until trial, pointing out that Saudi Arabia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States and that it has nearly unlimited resources and the ability to quickly support his escape abroad.
The prosecution also presented as evidence a case in which a Saudi spy who infiltrated Twitter in 2015 left the country the day after the incident due to the intervention of the consulate.
In response, Alfozan explained that he had lived in the United States for 15 years and had applied for U.S. citizenship, and that his departure from Saudi Arabia was reserved for purposes such as immigration.
He is accused of installing a personally modified listening device behind the TV in a key conference room attended by OpenAI's top executives, government officials, and external partners.
As a result of the prosecution's investigation, it was found that he used AI to conduct detailed searches and reconnaissance in advance on how to make a tape recorder, how to encrypt recorded files, and the location of the conference room.
On the 30th of last month, OpenAI discovered a wiretapping device in a conference room and reported it to the FBI, and immediately fired Alfozhan.
He received an annual salary of $385,000 (approximately 510 million won) and stocks worth $2.2 million (approximately 2.93 billion won) from OpenAI and holds U.S. permanent residency.
