Tom Alexandrovich

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich (Hebrew: טום (ארטיום) אלכסנדרוביץ'; born 1987 or 1986 in Israel)^[1][2] is an Israeli civil servant, serving as executive director of the Cyber Defense Division at the Israel National Cyber Directorate.^[3][4][5][6]

Alexandrovich is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).^[1] As the defense division executive director at the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD),^[7] he has overseen Israel's response to the use of cryptocurrency by anti-Israel groups, including Hamas, in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.^[8] He has also contributed to the country's "Cyber Dome" to protect civilian cyberspace.^[9]

He was a recipient of the Israel Defense Prize for achievements in cyber in 2021.^[10][11] He is fluent in Russian and Hebrew and also conversational in English, a language he "fully understands" according to a Henderson Police Department report.^[12][13]

Alexandrovich edited Aviation Cybersecurity: Foundations, Principles, and Applications (2021).^[14]

In August 2025, Alexandrovich was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with soliciting a minor, a felony.^[15] Alexandrovich was among 8 individuals arrested during a 2-week undercover sting operation targeting child sex predators.^[2] Alexandrovich was subsequently released and allowed to return to Israel.^[16]

He was in Las Vegas to attend the Black Hat computer security conference.^[17][9][18]

He allegedly chatted online with an FBI decoy posing as a 15-year-old girl about meeting for “sexual contact”.^[19] He was granted a $10,000 bail and subsequently allowed to return to Israel despite his lack of diplomatic immunity.^{[10][20][21][22]} On his return to Israel he was placed on leave from the directorate. He had been attending the Black Hat computer security conference and had met with NSA and FBI agents while also seeking to arrange further meetings with additional NSA agents.^[10][13][23]

Alexandrovich was arrested in a child sex predator sting operation in Henderson, Nevada, about 16 miles (26 km) southeast of downtown Las Vegas.^[2] He was charged with cyber-luring a child for a sex act, a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison and booked into detention. Released the next day on $10,000 bail, he returned to Israel two days later, despite felony charges and lack of diplomatic immunity.^[24] He was scheduled to appear in court on August 27.^[15] Alexandrovich skipped^[25] his August 27, 2025 arraignment hearing, despite being required by Nevada State law to make every court appearance.^[26]

His lawyers said that he had a deal with the district attorney to not have to appear in person, which was denied by the judge, who held that the DA had no authority to grant such a request.^[25][26] Alexandrovich's lawyers arranged for him to appear remotely via Zoom at the next hearing.^[25] Alexandrovich appeared virtually in Henderson Justice Court on September 3, 2025.^[27]

Alexandrovich appeared in court via video on October 28 and was formally charged with a child sex crime of luring a child with the intent to engage in sexual conduct. He pleaded not guilty.^[28]

In response to the incident, the Cyber Directorate claimed that "the directorate has not received additional details through authorized channels to date. Should such details be received, the directorate will act accordingly. At this stage, by joint decision, the employee has gone on leave to deal with the matter until things become clear."^[24][10][22]

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office falsely^[29] denied that he had been arrested, saying "A state employee who traveled to the U.S. 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.”^[30]

Alexandrovich's release was criticized by House Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie.^[31] On August 18, 2025, the United States Department of State issued a statement affirming it had no role in his release to Israel.^[32] Nevada's Acting U.S. Attorney, Sigal Chattah, stated that the prosecution was being handled by the Clark County District Attorney's office, not federal authorities, and criticized Nevada state authorities for not requiring Alexandrovich to surrender his passport, which allowed him to flee the country. Chattah further noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel expressed concern over the incident and called for Alexandrovich's immediate return to face justice.^[16] On August 19, 2025, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson described the arrest and bail as "standard".^[18]