FBI Charges Three With $129 Million AI-Driven Corporate Fraud
Prosecutors allege the trio used synthetic voices to impersonate CEOs and lawyers, tricking accounting departments into wiring millions to offshore accounts.
By Paula Delgado ·
Federal prosecutors formally charged three individuals with electronic fraud and aggravated identity theft after they allegedly used artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate executives and steal approximately $129 million. The case illustrates how digital tools are being deployed to bypass traditional verification protocols in global finance.
The accused, Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit, operated from various locations in Europe, Israel, and the Middle East. They were arrested between June and September of this year. Hazan had a prior conviction in New York in 2008 for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
For over eighteen months, the group targeted accounting departments at thousands of companies. Victims included hospital systems in Missouri and California, a Rhode Island bank, a UK fintech firm, a Massachusetts investment fund, and a Florida pet food company. The suspects also faced charges for money laundering.
The scheme relied on a coordinated sequence of communications. The trio sent emails posing as chief executives requesting confidential financial assistance. They then arranged phone or video calls where AI mimicked the voices and sometimes the faces of the impersonated leaders. During these calls, the fake executives instructed employees to contact a specific corporate lawyer from a major firm.
Soall primarily impersonated British lawyers during the calls. According to court documents, he kept a handwritten script titled 'Lawyer Call' to maintain a convincing professional demeanor. The fake lawyers instructed employees to wire large sums to global bank accounts. The funds were subsequently converted into cryptocurrency to obscure their origin before being distributed among the conspirators.
James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI’s acting deputy director, stated that the case demonstrates how advanced technology enables large-scale fraud. He noted that the agency is adapting its investigative capabilities to identify and dismantle groups targeting New York businesses. The case docket remained confidential in online court records as of Thursday night.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for most counts. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a maximum sentence of two years. The trio used nicknames such as 'Rocky Balboa' and 'Superman Cash' during their operations.
