Three men charged in $129 million scheme that used AI voices and faces to impersonate CEOs and lawyers
An indictment unsealed in Manhattan alleges the network used AI-generated voices and sometimes faces on calls to push finance staff into wire transfers; the defendants are charged, not convicted.
Why it matters
The indictment alleges a network used AI-generated voices and, in some cases, faces to pose as company chief executives, then sent employees to lawyers who were also impostors working for supposed major law firms, so that staff would wire millions into accounts the network controlled. Prosecutors put the total at more than $129 million; one defendant allegedly boasted of laundering more than $400 million in three years. It is a concrete court case of AI impersonation enabling large-scale fraud. The accused are presumed innocent; watch the court's next steps and whether firms tighten approval checks for transfers.
Key facts
- Indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan; charged: Jacob Soall, 41, Sharon Hazan, 54, and Guy Sheetrit, 42
- More than $129 million allegedly stolen from businesses worldwide
- AI-generated voices and in some cases faces used to impersonate chief executives
- Some messages sent through e-signature platforms such as DocuSign before calls
- Employees were sent to impostor lawyers posing as staff of major international law firms
- Hazan allegedly claimed to have laundered more than $400 million in three years