Overview
- The device was discovered on Sept. 30 in the USB port behind a television in a conference room used for highly confidential technical and business talks and was wrapped in toilet paper.
- Investigators say surveillance footage showed the 35-year-old repeatedly near the room without authorization and that a similar device was later found in a bag he left at OpenAI offices.
- OpenAI notified the FBI, deployed its internal security processes and model-based tools in the probe, and says it has found no evidence that model parameters, source code or customer data were accessed.
- The engineer was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 9 and appeared in federal court on Oct. 13 facing charges that carry up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and a detention hearing is set for Oct. 19.
- Federal filings say the device’s contents were encrypted and that investigators used suspicious chatbot queries linked to the suspect’s spouse as part of the evidence, a development officials framed as central to protecting US AI innovation.