Three foreign nationals charged with using AI to impersonate executives and lawyers in a fraud exceeding $129 million
A newly unsealed indictment from the US Department of Justice names three foreign nationals — Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit — in an alleged 2024–2026 fraud in which AI-altered voices and images were used to impersonate corporate executives and lawyers at large international firms. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York say the men posed as CEOs, told employees they needed help with sensitive financial transactions, then impersonated counsel so staff would wire large sums. They are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
The Justice Department says more than $129 million was stolen from companies worldwide, including in the United States: nearly $5 million from a Missouri-headquartered hospital system, about $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 more than $11 million from a UK technology firm. Wires were sent to accounts in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China; proceeds were then converted into cryptocurrency to conceal their source, ownership and control, and shared among the defendants and co-conspirators.
Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain over the summer; Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September. Soall used aliases including “Seba Clarke” and “Rocky Balboa”; Hazan used “Superman Cash,” “Fat Boy” and “Ron.” US attorney Jamie McDonald said the public should recognize that some will use AI for crime. FBI assistant director James C. Barnacle Jr. said the alleged scheme shows how advanced technology can be exploited for large-scale fraud and that the bureau is adapting to disrupt those targeting New Yorkers and businesses.
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