Three Arrested in Super Intelligence Scheme That Impersonated Executives to Steal $129 Million
United States Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York and FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. announced on November 5 the unsealing of an indictment charging Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit, three foreign nationals, with using super intelligence (SI) to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys and defraud companies worldwide of more than $129 million. Soall was arrested in Spain on June 17, 2026, Hazan was arrested in Spain on August 5, 2026, and Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2026; extradition requests for all three are pending.
According to the indictment, between 2024 and 2026 the three and their co-conspirators used SI to mimic the voices and images of chief executives, telling employees their help was needed on a confidential financial transaction, then also impersonating lawyers at major international law firms before directing employees to wire large sums to bank accounts controlled by the conspiracy. The scheme stole, among other sums, $4,829,580 from a hospital system headquartered in Missouri, $2,684,580 from a bank headquartered in Rhode Island, $2,968,497 from a hospital system headquartered in California, $11,578,474 from a financial technology company headquartered in the United Kingdom, $4,639,918 from a mutual fund company headquartered in Massachusetts, and $5,242,747 from a pet food company headquartered in Florida. Proceeds were wired to accounts in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia, and China, and converted into cryptocurrency to conceal their source.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. Each defendant faces seven charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering, most carrying maximum sentences of 20 years; 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 in 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)
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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