Posted on: August 16, 2025, 11:40h.
Last updated on: August 16, 2025, 12:29h.
- An official with the Israeli government’s cybersecurity division was arrested in Las Vegas on charges of attempting to solicit a minor online
- The arrest, part of a sting that netted eight suspects, occurred while Tom Alexandrovich, 38, was attending the annual Black Hat USA cybersecurity conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center
- Alexandrovich was allowed to return to Israel before indictments were filed
A senior Israeli official was arrested in Las Vegas two weeks ago on suspicion of attempting to lure minors to meet for sex. Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, 38, the Executive Director of the Israel Cyber Directorate, was in town attending the Black Hat USA cybersecurity conference, held Aug. 2-7 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
As part of a multi-agency sting targeting online child predators, Alexandrovich and seven others were lured to a location in neighboring Henderson, Nev., where they were arrested, according to Las Vegas police, which assisted in conducting the operation.
The eight suspects were charged with “felony charges of luring a child with a computer for a sex act,” which by Nevada law is punishable by 1-10 years in prison. They were booked into the Henderson Detention Center and then released after questioning, police said.
Though Las Vegas police said that indictments against all eight suspects were expected to be filed soon, Alexandrovich returned to Israel following his release. As of now, no extradition request has been made public.
After Alexandrovich’s arrest was first reported on Friday, his LinkedIn profile was deleted. But screenshots were saved showing photos of him attending the Black Hat Briefings, which are Black Hat USA’s main technical presentations.
According to Israeli newspapers, Alexandrovich was placed on leave by the Israel Cyber Directorate pending an investigation. The government agency operates under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which issued a statement on Friday insisting that Alexandrovich was not arrested — despite police statements indicating otherwise.
“A state employee who traveled to the US for professional matters was questioned by American authorities during his stay,” the statement read. “The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled.”
The two-week sting was coordinated by the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes the Las Vegas and Henderson police departments, the FBI, Homeland Security and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
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