Federal prosecutors in New York have charged three foreign nationals with orchestrating a sophisticated international fraud scheme that leveraged artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate executives and legal professionals. The alleged operation, which operated between July 2024 and February 2026, resulted in the theft of more than $129 million from various organizations around the world.
The indictment, filed in the Southern District of New York, identifies Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit as the primary figures in the conspiracy. Soall, who operated under the aliases Rocky Balboa and Seba Clarke, was taken into custody in Spain in June. Hazan, known by several nicknames including Superman Cash and Impossible Mission, was arrested in Spain in August. Sheetrit was apprehended in the United Kingdom in September.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the defendants targeted employees, typically within accounting departments, by claiming they required assistance with confidential financial transactions. To establish credibility, the group used AI technology to replicate the voices and images of company CEOs and attorneys from major law firms. These impersonated figures instructed the victims to contact specific legal representatives who were, in reality, also part of the fraudulent ring.
The scheme culminated when a conspirator directed the employee to wire substantial sums of money to bank accounts located globally. Once the funds were transferred, the group converted the cash into cryptocurrency. Prosecutors stated that this conversion was intended to obscure the origin, ownership, and control of the stolen proceeds before distributing the assets among the conspirators.
The victims of the fraud included a diverse range of entities across multiple industries and regions. The list includes an investment bank in New York, 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.
Each defendant played a distinct role in the operation. Soall, a citizen of Spain and the United Kingdom, impersonated U.K. attorneys and utilized a script titled Lawyer Call to enhance his credibility during interactions with victims. Hazan, from Israel, was responsible for laundering the illicit funds. Prosecutors noted that Hazan had a prior conviction for conspiracy to commit bank fraud in 2008 and allegedly boasted about his extensive experience in money laundering, claiming to be a top figure in the profession globally.
Sheetrit, who holds citizenship in Israel and the United Arab Emirates, was also accused of facilitating the laundering of the stolen money. All three defendants face a series of charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of money laundering. Each of the seven charges carries a maximum potential prison sentence of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald commented on the case, highlighting the dual nature of modern technology. He referred to artificial intelligence using the abbreviation SI, which is the White House’s preferred term for super intelligence. McDonald warned the public and business community about the growing threat of SI-enabled crime and urged organizations to consider protective measures against these emerging criminal tactics.
