Israeli cybersecurity official arrested in Nevada child predator sting
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Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a senior official with the "Israel" Cyber Directorate, was arrested in Nevada during an undercover sting targeting child predators.
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Deputy Chief Gary Schofield of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department bows his head in prayer during a news conference as the flag flies at half staff on July 8, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP)
A senior cybersecurity official with the Israel Cyber Directorate was reportedly arrested by Las Vegas police during a two-week undercover operation targeting individuals suspected of attempting to lure minors for sexual activity.
Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, 38, faces felony charges of using a computer to lure a child for a sex act. He was among several individuals detained during the operation conducted by the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced on Friday.
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.
"Two things you can’t escape at Black Hat 2025: the relentless buzz of generative [artificial intelligence] and the sound of Hebrew … in every corridor," Alexandrovich wrote in the post. "The key takeaway? The future of cybersecurity is being written in code, and it seems a significant part of it is being authored in #TelAviv and powered by LLMs."
Conflicting accounts emerge from Israeli and US sources
According to Mediaite, Alexandrovich’s LinkedIn profile identified him as the executive director of the "Israel" Cyber Directorate, an agency under the authority of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office; other online sources also linked him to the same position.
After his arrest, Alexandrovich was released from custody on a $10,000 bail following a court appearance and later returned to "Israel".
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The Israeli outlet Ynet reported that a staff member from the Cyber Directorate was detained and questioned in the US during a professional visit, but did not name Alexandrovich or mention the nature of the charges. Ynet cited Israeli officials saying the incident had "no political implications" and was "resolved quickly."
Netanyahu’s office released a statement denying any arrest, "A state employee who traveled to the US for professional matters was questioned by American authorities during his stay. The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled."
However, the Las Vegas police confirmed that Alexandrovich was formally arrested and charged, and that he was among eight suspects apprehended in Henderson, a city near Las Vegas. Documents show that he was released on bail.
Alexandrovich released on bail and returned to 'Israel'
Ynet reported Saturday evening (US Eastern time) that Alexandrovich was placed on leave from the Cyber Directorate by "mutual decision." The agency said its earlier public statement about the matter was "accurate based" based on the information it had received.
According to Las Vegas police, all suspects believed they were meeting minors but were instead confronted by undercover officers during the sting. After their arrests, they were transported to local jails.
Under Nevada law, the offense of luring a child with a computer for a sex act carries a prison sentence ranging from one to ten years.
