3 charged in AI scheme used to impersonate CEOs, attorneys to steal $129 million

NEW YORK (AP) — Three people accused of using artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys to steal about $129 million have been indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said Thursday.

Over more than a year and a half, Jacob Soall, 41, Sharon Hazan, 54, and Guy Sheetrit, 42, targeted thousands of companies across the world in their AI scheme, according to the indictment filed in a US District Court in New York.

Their victims included hospital systems in Missouri and California, a bank in Rhode Island, a financial technology company in the United Kingdom, a mutual fund company in Massachusetts and a pet food company in Florida, according to court documents.

Low-angle shot of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse in New York.

The Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse is seen in New York on Nov. 20, 2017. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

An artificial intelligence chipset with glowing "AI" text mounted on a high-tech circuit board.

Three people accused of using AI to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys to steal about $129 million have been indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said Thursday. 3Dsss – stock.adobe.com

The defendants, from Spain, the UK, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, were also charged with money laundering, according to the indictment.

Lawyers for Soall and Sheetrit did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. It was not clear whether Hazan had an attorney.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to a voicemail left by The Associated Press.

The three were arrested between June and September.

In 2008, Hazan was convicted in a New York court of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

The trio, who have nicknames that include “Rocky Balboa,” “Superman Cash” and “Fat Boy,” often targeted the companies’ accounting departments. They would send an email purporting to be from the CEO and ask for help with a confidential financial transaction, according to court documents.

A table listing seven counts of charges including Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, Money Laundering Conspiracy, and Money Laundering, along with their maximum sentences ranging from 2 to 20 years.

The defendants, from Spain, the UK, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, were also charged with money laundering, according to the indictment. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York

They would also coordinate a phone or video call where the defendants used AI to mimic the voice and sometimes the image of the CEO, according to the indictment.

The defendants would then tell them to contact an attorney at a major law firm, who the group was also ready to impersonate, according to court documents.

Soall mainly impersonated attorneys from the UK and had a “handwritten script titled ‘Lawyer Call’ that he utilized to make himself seem like a real attorney when speaking with and defrauding victims,” according to the US attorney’s office.

The impersonated attorney would tell the employee to wire large payments to bank accounts across the world, according to court documents.

The funds were then converted into cryptocurrency to try to conceal where they came from and then distributed to the trio and others involved, according to court documents.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said the case shows how advanced technology can be used to commit large-scale fraud.

“As criminals continue to weaponize emerging technologies, the FBI remains committed to rapidly adapting our capabilities to identify, investigate, and disrupt those who seek to harm New Yorkers and businesses operating in our communities,” he said in a statement.

If convicted, each of the charges have a maximum sentence of 20 years, except for aggravated identity theft, which is two years, according to the attorney’s office.

Related Posts

The October 23 Hearing in Christa Pike’s Lawsuit Against Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Vanishes From the Calendar After Both Sides Agree No Oral Arguments Are Needed

ThuyGiang
October 31, 2026

A chancery court hearing that had been set for October 23 in the case of Christa Gail Pike versus Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was formally …

Exclusive | Plastic-wrapped corpse found in Ritzy California beach enclave ID’d as father of four — as details about suspects emerge

A dead man found bizarrely wrapped in Saran wrap has been identified as father of four Lawrence Matthew Brennen Jr., as new details emerge about the suspects accused of concealing his body.

Santa Bar…

The Missing Code That Turned a Real Emergency Into a “False Call”: Newly Released 911 Records Reveal the 26-Minute Delay After Christa Pike Survived Tennessee’s lєthaℓ inje𝔠ti☉n

Newly released 911 dispatch records from the night of September 30, 2026, document a sequence of miscommunications that delayed emergency medical care for Christa Pike after she survived two doses of …

❤️ Amanda Owen’s Our Farm Next Door Gets Surprise Update as Series Four Ends—And Fans Finally Have Their Answer About Its Future

🏡 Just when viewers feared they might be saying goodbye to Amanda Owen, Clive, and their nine children, an unexpected announcement has changed everything.

As the fourth series of Our Farm Next Door …

Crooked LA deputy’s $15K jailhouse smuggling scheme involved Pringles cans — but it wasn’t just chips inside

A crooked Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who tried to smuggle more than a pound of heroin into jail using Pringles cans for a $15,000 payday has been sentenced to more than five years in federal …

Nearly three decades after the dєatᩚh of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, her case remains one of America’s most widely discussed unsolved mysteries.

Melissa McCarthy is weighing in on the JonBenét Ramsey murder case.

The Oscar-nominated actress, who stars as Patsy Ramsey in the upcoming Netflix limited series The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey, came i…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *