Georgia residents sue county leaders and OpenAI under RICO over Project Camellia data center
The suit alleges concealment and fraud over a planned data center expected to cost between $20 billion and $30 billion, and says nearby home offers have dropped or been withdrawn.
Residents of Effingham County, Georgia have filed a civil RICO suit against county commissioners, the county manager, the county's industrial development authority, OpenAI and affiliated entities over Project Camellia, a planned data center. The plaintiffs allege fraud, concealment through non-disclosure agreements, civil conspiracy, improper land deals and zoning violations, and say nearby home offers have fallen or been withdrawn since the project was announced. The project is expected to cost between $20 billion and $30 billion, be built in five phases, and reach 3.2 gigawatts of compute capacity. OpenAI has promised it will cover its own infrastructure upgrades and keep water use minimal through a closed-loop system. Critics argue Georgia's RICO statute is broad enough to be used against ordinary felonies, and similar complaints about secretive data center deals have surfaced elsewhere.
Why it matters
The case tests whether residents can use Georgia's broad racketeering statute against a major AI infrastructure project and the local officials who approved it. Its outcome could shape how transparent such deals must be with the communities that host them. For now the allegations are unproven, and OpenAI has said it will pay for required infrastructure upgrades and keep water use minimal.
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