Judge keeps former OpenAI engineer detained despite Saudi bond offer
At an October 19th hearing, Alfozan's lawyer said the Saudi government would guarantee $1 million; the judge questioned whether that could prevent him from fleeing.
By Ryan Merket · Published
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Why it matters
The detention ruling puts a precise question before the court: whether a foreign government's bond guarantee can assure a defendant's return. The 2015 Twitter case supplies prosecutors' historical analogy, not proof of a link between the cases or of the current allegations.
A federal judge rejected a request to release Abdulrahman Alfozan on October 19th. Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer accused of planting an audio recorder in an executive conference room, was denied release despite a Saudi consulate offer to cover his bond. The offer was not a $1 million payment: Alfozan's lawyer told the court the Saudi government would guarantee $1 million, while the consulate said it would cover whatever bond the court required, according to Fortune's account of the hearing.…
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