A federal judge has ordered a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a company conference room to remain in custody while awaiting trial, according to Wired.com. Federal magistrate judge Alex Tse ruled on Monday that Abdulrahman Alfozan poses a flight risk due to his ties to Saudi Arabia.
According to Wired.com, US prosecutors alleged that the Saudi Arabian government has offered to support Alfozan “with no strings attached,” citing the Saudi consulate’s offer to work with a bail bonds firm to help fund his release. Judge Tse questioned whether Alfozan is an “asset” for the kingdom, stating: “I find that problematic. 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.”
Wired.com reports that prosecutors allege Alfozan was “in frequent communications via WhatsApp” with a member of the Saudi royal family throughout 2025 and 2026. However, Alfozan’s attorney William Pernik dismissed the flight risk concerns as baseless and told the court there is no evidence of Alfozan spying for Saudi Arabia or engaging in covert activities. According to Wired.com, Alfozan is a US permanent resident who had been on the path to obtaining citizenship.