Prosecutors Say AI Fake CEOs and Lawyers Took $129 Million From Companies
US prosecutors charged three people over an alleged scheme that used AI to mimic CEOs and attorneys and took more than $129 million from companies.
The CEO calls. A lawyer confirms the deal. The money leaves. US prosecutors allege both were AI impersonations, and that the scheme took more than $129 million from companies.[1]
What Happened
The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment on 5 November 2026.[1] It charges Jacob Soall, 41, of Marbella, Spain, and the UK; Sharon Hazan, 54, of Israel; and Guy Sheetrit, 42, of Israel and the UAE.[1]
The release says the charges are "merely accusations" and the defendants are "presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."[1]
Each faces seven counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Five carry up to 20 years each, two up to 2 years each.[1]
Soall was arrested in Spain on 17 June, Hazan in Spain on 5 August and Sheetrit in the UK on 7 September. Extradition requests are pending.[1]
Prosecutors place the alleged conduct between 2024 and 2026.[1] The AP, citing the indictment, says the group targeted thousands of companies worldwide, often their accounting departments.[2]
The alleged method:
- An email posing as the CEO asked for help with a confidential transaction.[2]
- A phone or video call followed, using AI to mimic the CEO's voice and sometimes image.[2]
- The fake CEO told the employee to contact lawyers at large international firms.[1]
- A conspirator posing as one of those lawyers directed a large wire.[1]
The release calls the technology "super intelligence" and does not define it.[1]
Prosecutors allege Soall mainly impersonated UK attorneys and kept a handwritten script titled "Lawyer Call." It allegedly included "language designed to convince victim employees not to discuss their communications with fellow employees."[1]
Payments allegedly went to accounts in countries including Spain, Singapore and China. Hazan and Sheetrit allegedly laundered funds.[1] Prosecutors allege Hazan boasted of laundering over $400 million in the past three years.[1]
The release lists six alleged losses: $11,578,474 from a UK fintech company, $5,242,747 from a Florida pet food company, $4,829,580 from a Missouri hospital system, $4,639,918 from a Massachusetts mutual fund company, $2,968,497 from a California hospital system and $2,684,580 from a Rhode Island bank.[1]
The release says Hazan was convicted in the same district in 2008 of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.[1]
Lawyers for Soall and Sheetrit did not immediately respond to the AP. It was unclear whether Hazan had an attorney.[2]
Why It Matters
As alleged, this attack did not break into a system. It worked on a habit: an employee checks with a second authority.
If the CEO and lawyer are both fake, that check confirms nothing. The alleged script aimed to stop the last check, a word with a colleague.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald encouraged individuals and businesses to consider how to best protect themselves "from the emerging threat of SI-enabled crime."[1] Tech Times reports the Justice Department launched a Super Intelligence Task Force on 5 November.[3]
What to Do
- Call back: Confirm any wire request on a number you already have, never one from the email or call.
- Check the lawyer: Reach the firm through its public main line.
- Require two people: No single employee should release a large wire.
- Report secrecy: A request to keep a payment from colleagues is a reason to tell one.
- Act fast if money moved: Call your bank. Prosecutors ask possible victims to use tips.fbi.gov.[1]
Verify What You See and Hear
Witness checks images and video, not phone audio. For a voice, the callback is your check.
Upload any suspicious image or video frame at witness.vision/scan to check whether it was AI-generated. The Witness Chrome extension scans images directly on any webpage. The result is a signal, not proof. A clean result does not show media is authentic.
Scan now at witness.vision/scan
- [1]US Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 5 November 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/three-foreign-nationals-arrested-and-charged-scheme-use-super-intelligence-defraud
- [2]Associated Press via KOB 4, 6 November 2026. https://www.kob.com/ap-top-news/3-charged-in-scheme-to-use-ai-to-impersonate-ceos-and-attorneys-to-steal-129-million/
- [3]Tech Times, 6 November 2026. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/330168/20261106/doj-super-intelligence-task-force-launches-no-new-offense-hacking-law-needs-human-intent.htm
