Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime
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Israeli-born US prosecutor Sigal Chattah declined to federally charge an Israeli cyber official accused of child sex crimes, fueling concerns of bias.
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Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)
An Israeli-born US federal prosecutor in Nevada has come under scrutiny after she declined to pursue federal charges against a senior Israeli official arrested in Las Vegas on child sex crime allegations. Sigal Chattah, the acting US attorney for Nevada, confirmed Monday that her office would not prosecute the case, instead leaving it to local authorities, which shields both the Israeli occupation and the accused official from serious consequences.
Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, was arrested earlier this month in a multi-agency sting targeting child sex predators. Police say Alexandrovich arranged online to meet a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl, and was arrested after arriving at a pre-arranged location with contraception.
Despite the seriousness of the charge, a felony carrying a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, Alexandrovich was released on a $10,000 bond and quickly returned to the occupied Palestinian territories, where he has been placed on leave. His next court hearing in Nevada is scheduled for later this month, but it is unclear whether he will return.
'Released pending a court date'
The US State Department publicly denied intervening on Alexandrovich’s behalf. “He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date. Any claims that the US government intervened are false,” the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs said on X.
The Department of State is aware that Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in Las Vegas and given a court date for charges related to soliciting sex electronically from a minor. He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a…
— U.S. State Dept - Near Eastern Affairs (@StateDept_NEA) August 18, 2025
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security took part in the sting, and such cases often lead to federal charges. Chattah’s refusal to take on the case has therefore sparked accusations of favoritism.
Chattah, who was born in the occupied Palestinian territories, has long been active in Zionist political circles, including the Israeli-American Council, a lobby group funded by pro-Israeli billionaire donors.
Her record has been mired in controversy: over 100 retired judges recently signed a letter objecting to her appointment, citing her inflammatory rhetoric. She has previously called for the Israeli regime to “wipe Gaza off the map” and described Palestinians as “terrorists” and “animals.”
Netanyahu’s office disputes arrest reports
After his arrest, Alexandrovich was released from custody on a $10,000 bail following a court appearance and later returned to "Israel".
Alexandrovich was in the United States, reportedly attending the Black Hat Briefings, a high-profile cybersecurity conference held annually in Las Vegas. A now-deleted LinkedIn post under his name referred to his presence at the event earlier in August.
Read more: Data of thousands of Israelis with military ties leaked in hack
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected reports that Alexandrovich had been arrested, claiming instead that he was only “questioned” before returning to "Israel" as scheduled.
The incident comes as Washington faces growing scrutiny over its close ties with "Israel", shielding it and its officials from any accountability over the genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 62,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023. The case adds further tension to an already controversial alliance between the US government and "Israel."
