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Three men charged in US with using AI to impersonate CEOs and steal millions

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Cite

Bhuiyan, J. (2026, November 6). Three men charged in US with using AI to impersonate CEOs and steal millions. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/06/ai-ceo-impersonation-theft

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-11-06 · by Johana Bhuiyan

Quick Summary

Three foreign nationals—Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit—have been arrested for using AI technology to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys, stealing over $129 million from 2024 to 2026. The men targeted companies worldwide, including in the US, UK, and other countries, directing victims to wire money into numerous international bank accounts before converting it into cryptocurrency. Authorities emphasize that AI presents both opportunities and risks, with criminals exploiting advanced technology for large-scale fraud.
Written by AI on 2026-11-08, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Three individuals accused of using artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys have been indicted on charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering for stealing approximately $129 million over more than 18 months. Jacob Soall (41), Sharon Hazan (54), and Guy Sheetrit (42) targeted thousands of companies worldwide in their scheme. The 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.

The accused used AI to mimic executives' voices and images via emails and phone calls, directing employees to transfer funds to accounts controlled by them. Hazan was known by nicknames like "Superman Cash" and "Fat Boy," while Soall went by "Rocky Balboa." The arrests of the trio occurred between June and September 2026 in Spain and the United Kingdom.

Written for “AI Impersonation Scheme Charges” on 2026-11-07, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 AI Impersonation Scheme Charges
Technology · 6 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 44% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post
Hedges 3 of 4 claims Outlet record 62/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
44%
7 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-08 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 2188 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Johana Bhuiyan
10 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Johana Bhuiyan
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 10 articles by Johana Bhuiyan →

Topics

FBI New York Spain United States the US Department of Justice

Subjects

Hazan PERSON · 4× Soall PERSON · 3× FBI ORG · 2× Sheetrit PERSON · 2× Spain GPE · 2× Jacob Soall PERSON · 1× New York GPE · 1× Sharon Hazan PERSON · 1× United States GPE · 1× the US Department of Justice ORG · 1×

Narrative

“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.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-08
🔮 They would then instruct the employees to get in touch with lawyers at a large international law firm.

Claims (16 extracted, 7 hedged)

Three foreign nationals were arrested and charged with using AI to allegedly impersonate corporate CEOs and attorneys to steal over $100m, according to an indictment that was newly unsealed by the US Department of Justice. uncertain
that → arrest → Justice
According to a press release from the United States attorney’s office for the southern district of New York, three men – Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit – were arrested for using AI to alter and impersonate the voices and images of executives and attorneys at various companies in order to convince employees to send over large payments. uncertain
men → accord → payments
Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain over the summer, while Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September. asserted
Sheetrit → arrest → September
The alleged fraud took place between 2024 and 2026. asserted
fraud → take → 2024
With the help of AI, the men allegedly acted as a corporate executive, targeting employees of various companies and telling them they needed their help with sensitive financial transactions. uncertain
they → act → transactions
They would then instruct the employees to get in touch with lawyers at a large international law firm. asserted
They → instruct → firm
The men would then impersonate a lawyer at these firms and have the employees wire a large amount of money. asserted
employees → impersonate → money
The men ultimately stole more than $129m from companies all over the world including in the US, according to the DoJ. uncertain
men → steal → DoJ.
The men allegedly stole nearly $5m from a hospital system headquartered in Missouri; about $2.7m from a Rhode Island bank, about $3m from a California hospital system, over $4.6m from a mutual fund headquartered in Massachusetts and about $5m from a pet food company in Florida. uncertain
men → steal → Florida
The men also stole over $11m from a UK tech company. asserted
men → steal → company
The men would direct employees to wire money to bank accounts all over the world including in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China. asserted
men → direct → States
After the money had been wired, the men would covert the money into cryptocurrency “in an attempt to conceal the source, ownership, and control of the stolen proceeds and distributed it amongst themselves and their co-conspirators”, according to the DoJ press release. uncertain
men → wire → release
Soall and Hazan went by several aliases: Soal’s nicknames included “Seba Clarke” and “Rocky Balboa,” while Hazan went by “Superman Cash,” “Fat Boy,” and “Ron.” asserted
Hazan → go → Cash
In a statement, Jamie McDonald, a US attorney, said artificial intelligence had great potential but that the public should recognize that some may seek to use the technology to pursue criminal goals. “The alleged scheme orchestrated by Soall, Hazan, and Sheetrit demonstrates how the use of advanced technology can be exploited to commit large-scale fraud,” said James C Barnacle Jr, the FBI assistant director in charge, in a statement. uncertain
Jr → say → statement
“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. asserted
who → continue → communities
The men have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, various counts of money-laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. asserted
men → charge → conspiracy
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