Texas man faces federal charges for trying to kill OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

( Post Millennial )

20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama is facing federal charges for having traveled from Texas to California with the express purpose of killing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. He was arrested on April 10 after he threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's San Francisco home and tried to break into the OpenAI headquarters. He could face upwards of 20 years in prison if convicted.

He's charged with attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm. Moreno-Gama was found by San Francisco Police with incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, a blue lighter, and a manifesto titled "Your Last Warning," per the Department of Justice. 

The document found with Moreno-Gama was in three parts. The first part was a discussion of the alleged intended crime, which read "...if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message." It contained a list of board members and CEOs of AI companies and investors, reads the complaint. OpenAI is one of the top American AI companies, offering ChatGPT and other products.

The second part of "Your Last Warning" was titled "Some more words on the matter of our impending extinction." The final section was a letter addressed to Altman that read, "If by some miracle you live, then I would take this as a sign from the divine to redeem yourself..." 

Moreno-Gama also tried to break into the OpenAI headquarters, according to prosecutors, who said "Moreno-Gama attempted to break the glass doors of the building with a chair and stated that he had come to burn down the location and kill anyone inside."

That document "advocated against AI and for the killing and commission of other crimes against CEOs of AI companies and their investors, listing names and addresses that purported to belong to multiple CEOs and investors. In the document, Moreno-Gama admitted to attempting to kill the victim CEO and requested others to join his movement," per the DOJ.

Law enforcement states that Moreno-Gama had emailed "Your Last Warning" to contacts at his former college in Texas.

"Violence cannot be the norm for expressing disagreement, be it with politics or a technology or any other matter," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "These alleged actions – which damaged property and could well have taken lives – will be aggressively prosecuted."

"The charges announced today reflect a deeply concerning escalation from intent to action targeting a private residence and a technology company with violence. The FBI will not tolerate threats against our nation’s innovation leaders or the companies that drive our economy forward. Acts of destruction aimed at the tech sector will be met with the full force of law enforcement. This case underscores the strength of our partnership with the San Francisco Police Department. Together, we remain committed to identifying, disrupting, and holding accountable anyone who seeks to bring violence to our communities," said Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo.

"OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity," reads the mission of the company. The company states, "Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence—AI systems that are generally smarter than humans—benefits all of humanity."