US DOJ Charges Three in $129 Million AI Impersonation Scam

The US Department of Justice announced on November 5 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has charged three suspects with using AI to impersonate corporate executives and law firm attorneys, inducing employees to transfer large sums to accounts controlled by co-conspirators. The alleged fraud involves approximately $129 million. The defendants are Jacob Soall, 41, a Spanish and British national; Sharon Hazan, 54, an Israeli national; and Guy Sheetrit, 42, an Israeli and UAE national. They face multiple charges including wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.

According to the announcement, the scheme involved impersonating the target company's CEO to contact employees, claiming they needed help with a confidential financial transaction and using AI to synthesize the executive's likeness or voice. Employees were then directed to contact a "lawyer at a major international law firm," with co-conspirators posing as the attorney and instructing employees to wire the funds. The FBI did not disclose the names of the victim companies, but said they included a Missouri-based hospital system that lost $4.8 million, a Rhode Island-based bank that lost $3 million, and a UK fintech company that lost $11.6 million.

The announcement said that if convicted, the three could face decades in prison. Hazan allegedly claimed to have been engaged in money laundering since 1994, handled more than $400 million over the past three years, and described herself as "the number one" professional money launderer in the world.

Source: https://www.pymnts.com/cybersecurity/identity-theft/2026/fbi-charges-three-129-million-dollar-ai-impersonation-scam/