The charges and the arrests
The U.S. Department of Justice has made public an indictment against three men, identified as Jacob Saul, Saron Hazan and Guy Shetrit, for a fraud that prosecutors say yielded more than $129 million at the expense of companies in several countries. The news was reported by the British outlet The Guardian and picked up by IT之家. The investigations focus on a period between 2024 and 2026.
According to a statement from the federal prosecutor's office for the Southern District of New York, the three allegedly used artificial intelligence tools to reproduce the voices and likenesses of senior corporate executives and lawyers. Saul and Hazan were detained in Spain during the summer, while Shetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September. The formal charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
The mechanics of the scam
The investigators' account describes a two-stage procedure. Initially, the suspects contacted employees of various companies while posing as executives and claiming that a confidential financial transaction required their involvement. Subsequently, according to the indictment, the same defendants presented themselves as lawyers from a major international law firm and gave instructions for making high-value wire transfers.
The funds were directed to bank accounts located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Once received, according to the Department of Justice, those responsible converted the sums into cryptocurrencies to make it harder to trace the origin and ownership of the money, and then split it with other accomplices not yet identified.
The victims and the authorities' reactions
Among the victims listed in the indictment are a hospital network based in Missouri, which allegedly lost almost $5 million, and a Rhode Island bank with a loss of about $2.7 million. A California hospital group allegedly suffered a loss of about $3 million, while a Massachusetts mutual fund company allegedly lost more than $4.6 million. A British technology company instead transferred more than $11 million.
Federal prosecutor Jamie McDonald commented that artificial intelligence offers significant opportunities but requires attention to the risk that it may be used for illegal activities. James C. Barnacle, assistant director of the FBI, said the case demonstrates how advanced technologies can be exploited for large-scale fraud and that the agency intends to strengthen its investigative capabilities.
What remains to be established
The available information does not clarify which artificial intelligence tools were used, nor whether the three defendants have already provided their account of the facts or been questioned in court proceedings. The total number of companies affected is also not specified. The charges brought by the Department of Justice will have to be confirmed during the judicial proceedings.
