Three Foreign Nationals Charged With Using 'Super Intelligence' to Impersonate Executives and Lawyers, Defrauding Companies of Over $129 Million
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on November 5 the unsealing of an indictment charging Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit, three foreign nationals, with participating in a scheme to use super intelligence (SI) technology to defraud companies around the world. According to the indictment, between 2024 and 2026 the three used SI to impersonate senior executives of numerous companies and attorneys at major law firms, tricking employees into wiring large payments to bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy, ultimately stealing more than $129 million. Soall was arrested in Spain on June 17, Hazan in Spain on August 5, and Sheetrit in the United Kingdom on September 7; extradition requests for all three are pending.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said: 'SI technology offers tremendous potential. But the public should recognize that there are some who seek to use this emerging technology to pursue criminal goals. As alleged, Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit abused groundbreaking super intelligence technology to impersonate real people and deceive corporate executives into sending them and their co-conspirators approximately $129 million.' He urged individuals and the business community to consider how to protect themselves from the emerging threat of SI-enabled crime. FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said the alleged scheme demonstrates how advanced technology can be exploited to commit large-scale fraud, and that the FBI remains committed to identifying, investigating and disrupting those who seek to harm New Yorkers and businesses.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy typically began by impersonating a victim company's chief executive officer, telling an employee their help was needed on a confidential financial transaction and using SI to mimic the CEO's voice and image on calls. Members of the conspiracy then also impersonated lawyers at large international law firms said to be working on the sham transaction, and ultimately directed the employee to wire a large sum to an account the conspiracy controlled. The proceeds were directed to accounts around the world, including in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China, and converted into cryptocurrency in an attempt to conceal their source and ownership. Soall primarily impersonated attorneys from the United Kingdom and kept a handwritten script titled 'Lawyer Call' to make himself seem like a real attorney; Hazan and Sheetrit laundered funds from the scheme, and Hazan allegedly boasted that he had laundered over $400 million in just the past three years.
The victims itemized in the indictment include a hospital system headquartered in Missouri, defrauded of $4,829,580; a bank headquartered in Rhode Island, $2,684,580; a hospital system headquartered in California, $2,968,497; a financial technology company headquartered in the United Kingdom, $11,578,474; a mutual fund company headquartered in Massachusetts, $4,639,918; and a pet food company headquartered in Florida, $5,242,747.
Soall, 41, of Marbella, Spain, and the United Kingdom; Hazan, 54, of Israel; and Sheetrit, 42, of Israel and the United Arab Emirates each face seven counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering. The wire fraud and money laundering charges each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison, and each aggravated identity theft count carries two years. Prosecutors noted that Hazan was previously convicted in the Southern District of New York of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in 2008. The case is being handled by the Office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mead, Brandon C. Thompson and Jackie Delligatti in charge of the prosecution; Spain's Policía Nacional and the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency assisted with the arrests. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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