Three foreign nationals have been arrested and charged with using artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate CEOs and attorneys in a scheme that allegedly stole more than $129m from companies around the world, according to an indictment unsealed by the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
The US attorney's office for the southern district of New York said Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit used AI to alter and impersonate the voices and images of executives and attorneys at various companies to convince employees to send large payments. Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain over the summer, while Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September. The alleged fraud took place between 2024 and 2026.
How the scheme worked
With the help of AI, the men allegedly posed as corporate executives, targeting employees of various companies and telling them they needed help with sensitive financial transactions. They would then instruct employees to contact lawyers at a large international law firm. The men would impersonate a lawyer at these firms and have employees wire a large amount of money.
The DoJ said the men ultimately stole more than $129m from companies worldwide, including in the US. Specific thefts included nearly $5m from a hospital system headquartered in Missouri, about $2.7m from a Rhode Island bank, about $3m from a California hospital system, over $4.6m from a mutual fund headquartered in Massachusetts, about $5m from a pet food company in Florida, and over $11m from a UK tech company.
Money laundering and aliases
The men directed employees to wire money to bank accounts in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia, and China. After the money was wired, the men converted it into cryptocurrency "in an attempt to conceal the source, ownership, and control of the stolen proceeds and distributed it amongst themselves and their co-conspirators," according to the DoJ press release.
Soall and Hazan used several aliases. Soall's nicknames included "Seba Clarke" and "Rocky Balboa," while Hazan went by "Superman Cash," "Fat Boy," and "Ron."
Official response and charges
Jamie McDonald, a US attorney, said in a statement that artificial intelligence had great potential but that the public should recognize that some may seek to use the technology to pursue criminal goals.
James C Barnacle Jr, the FBI assistant director in charge, said in a statement: "The alleged scheme orchestrated by Soall, Hazan, and Sheetrit demonstrates how the use of advanced technology can be exploited to commit large-scale fraud. As criminals continue to weaponize emerging technologies, the FBI remains committed to rapidly adapting our capabilities to identify, investigate, and disrupt those who seek to harm New Yorkers and businesses operating in our communities."
The men have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, various counts of money-laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft.
