Three men charged in alleged $129 million AI voice-cloning fraud scheme

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say the defendants used AI to impersonate executives and lawyers, tricking companies into wiring millions An accountant at a regional hospital system in Missouri picked up the phone and heard a familiar voice. It sounded exactly like the organization’s chief executive, asking for an urgent and confidential wire transfer. According to federal prosecutors, it wasn’t the CEO. It was allegedly part of an AI-powered impersonation operation that took companies for more than $129 million. On November 6, 2026, prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed an indictment against three foreign nationals: Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit. The case was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The charges read like a checklist of financial crime. They include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. How the alleged scheme worked Prosecutors say the operation ran from approximately July 2024 to February 2026. During that window, the defendants allegedly used AI tools to clone the voices and images of corporate executives and attorneys at major international law firm...