Three Charged in AI CEO Impersonation Fraud Scheme

Three individuals have been indicted in the United States on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for allegedly using artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate chief executives and lawyers in a multi‑million dollar fraud scheme.

The defendants—Jacob Soall, 41, Sharon Hazan, 54, and Guy Sheetrit, 42—are accused of targeting thousands of companies globally over about a 18‑month period, with reported victims ranging from hospital systems in Missouri and California to a Rhode Island bank, a UK financial technology firm, a Massachusetts mutual fund, and a Florida pet‑food company.

According to court filings, the group would email targets posing as a CEO requesting help with a confidential financial transaction, then arrange a phone or video call during which they used AI to mimic the CEO’s voice and, in some cases, his face. They would then direct victims to contact an attorney at a major firm, also impersonated by the trio. Soall allegedly impersonated UK lawyers and used a handwritten “Lawyer Call” script to appear authentic, pressuring employees to wire large sums to bank accounts abroad.

The funds were converted to cryptocurrency to conceal origins and then distributed among the trio and others. The defendants—spanning Spain, the UK, Israel and the UAE—face potential sentences of up to 20 years for each wire‑fraud charge, plus two years for aggravated identity theft, if convicted.

The Justice Department and FBI officials described the case as illustrating how emerging technologies can be weaponised to commit large‑scale fraud. The indictment also cites prior offences and international elements, with several defendants arrested between June and September 2026.