Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have charged three foreign nationals in an alleged AI-powered impersonation scheme that defrauded companies of more than $129 million, according to an indictment unsealed on November 6, 2026.
The defendants—Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit—face charges including wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. The case was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
How the alleged scheme worked
Prosecutors say the operation ran from approximately July 2024 to February 2026. During that period, the defendants allegedly used AI tools to clone the voices and images of corporate executives and attorneys at major international law firms.
A target would first receive an email or phone call from someone posing as the company’s CEO, asking for help with a sensitive deal. A supposed lawyer would then follow up with wire instructions, lending the request an appearance of legal legitimacy.
The targets were typically accounting staff—employees with the authority to move money. According to the indictment, employees authorized large transfers into accounts controlled by the accused.
The indictment describes thousands of targeted companies. Victims who lost money included:
- A Missouri hospital system, which lost approximately $4.83 million
- A UK fintech company, which lost approximately $11.58 million
- A Florida pet food company, which lost approximately $5.24 million
- A Rhode Island bank
- A California hospital
- A Massachusetts mutual fund
Per-victim losses ranged from approximately $2 million to over $11 million.
Arrests across Europe, extradition pending
All three men were arrested in Europe over the course of 2026. Soall, 41, who has ties to Spain and the UK, was arrested on June 17, 2026. Hazan, 54, of Israel, was arrested on August 5, 2026. Sheetrit, 42, with ties to Israel and the UAE, was arrested on September 7, 2026.
Extradition proceedings to bring all three to the US are underway. Each defendant faces up to 20 years per major count if convicted.
Hazan has a prior bank fraud conviction from 2008.
As with any indictment, these are allegations. None of the three has been convicted on the current charges.
The crypto thread
Money laundering sits at the center of this case, and digital assets reportedly played a role. Some of the stolen funds were allegedly converted into crypto as part of the laundering process. Court documents do not specify which assets were used or how much moved through them.
