Three foreign nationals face criminal charges in the United States for allegedly using artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate chief executives and attorneys to steal more than $100m. The indictment was unsealed by the US Department of Justice.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York prosecutors identified the defendants as Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit. Authorities arrested Soall and Hazan in Spain over the summer, while British police detained Sheetrit in the United Kingdom in September. The alleged fraudulent operations occurred between 2024 and 2026.
Using artificial intelligence, the trio allegedly mimicked the voices and images of company executives and lawyers to trick employees into authorizing large financial transfers. The scheme involved approaching workers with claims that they required assistance with confidential financial transactions. Workers were then directed to communicate with purported attorneys at a major international law firm whom the men also impersonated.
According to the Justice Department, the syndicate ultimately stole more than $129m from businesses worldwide, including targets inside the United States. Specific losses included nearly $5m from a Missouri hospital system, about $2.7m from a Rhode Island bank, roughly $3m from a California hospital network, and over $4.6m from a Massachusetts mutual fund. A Florida pet food company lost $5m, and a British technology firm was defrauded of more than $11m.
The suspects directed victim employees to wire funds to bank accounts located in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia, and China. Once the money arrived, the defendants converted the funds into cryptocurrency to mask the origin, ownership, and control of the proceeds before distributing the assets among themselves and co-conspirators.
Court documents show the men used multiple aliases during the operation. Soall operated under nicknames including Seba Clarke and Rocky Balboa, while Hazan used monikers such as Superman Cash, Fat Boy, and Ron.
Jamie McDonald, a US attorney, stated that while artificial intelligence holds significant potential, the public must recognize that individuals will attempt to exploit the technology for criminal purposes.
James C Barnacle Jr, the FBI assistant director in charge, said the case showed how advanced technology can be weaponised for large-scale fraud. As criminals continue to use emerging technologies, the FBI is committed to rapidly adapting capabilities to identify, investigate, and disrupt those harming businesses, according to his statement.
The three defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, multiple counts of money-laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft.
