US prosecutors say three men used AI-altered voices and images of executives and attorneys to trick employees into wiring more than $129 million; the defendants are charged but not convicted.
US prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced on 5 November 2026 that an indictment has been unsealed against three foreign nationals, Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit, accused of using artificial intelligence to defraud companies around the world. According to the Justice Department, the men allegedly altered the voices and images of corporate executives and of lawyers at large international law firms to persuade employees to send urgent payments. Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain over the summer, and Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September. The alleged conduct ran from 2024 to 2026, and the men face charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
The Guardian, which reported on the indictment, describes a two-step playbook. First, the suspects allegedly posed as a company executive and told an employee that help was needed with a sensitive financial transaction. The employee was then directed to contact supposed lawyers at a major law firm, who were also impersonated, and who instructed the worker to wire large sums. Prosecutors say the money went to accounts in countries including the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China, and was then converted into cryptocurrency to conceal its source and shared among the alleged conspirators. The Justice Department's headline puts total losses at $129 million, while its body text refers to more than $100 million.
The named victims show how widely the alleged scheme reached: roughly $5 million from a Missouri hospital system, $2.7 million from a Rhode Island bank, about $3 million from a California hospital system, more than $4.6 million from a Massachusetts mutual fund, about $5 million from a Florida pet food company and over $11 million from a UK technology company. US Attorney Jamie McDonald said AI holds great potential but that some people will try to use it for criminal ends, while FBI New York chief James C. Barnacle Jr. said criminals continue to weaponize emerging technologies. As with any indictment, these are allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and the case is a reminder for finance teams to verify unusual payment requests through a separate, trusted channel.
