Alexander Gurevich, a 47-year-old dual Russian-Israeli citizen from Bat Yam, was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport. Authorities apprehended him after he allegedly attempted to flee Israel using a new identity and a fake passport. Gurevich is wanted in the United States for his involvement in a major 2022 cryptocurrency hack. This hack, linked to the near-collapse of a California-based blockchain firm, caused significant financial damage.
The US extradition request reveals Gurevich’s role in stealing millions of dollars by exploiting vulnerabilities in Nomad’s system.
In August 2022, he withdrew approximately $2.89 million in tokens from the platform’s digital wallet. Within hours, others discovered the flaw, draining the wallet’s contents and leaving Nomad with a $186 million loss. Gurevich allegedly contacted Nomad’s CTO to claim responsibility, demanding a $500,000 reward for identifying the vulnerability.
After fleeing to Israel in 2022, Gurevich changed his name in the Israeli registry to “Alexander Block” in April 2023. He received a new passport under this alias and tried to board a flight to Russia in May 2023. His arrest comes as part of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and US federal authorities, who filed an indictment against him in August 2023. They requested his extradition after charges were laid for computer crimes, money laundering, and transferring stolen property.
Gurevich faces severe charges in the US, including a potential 20-year sentence for money laundering.
In contrast, Israeli law offers much lighter penalties, with a maximum of three years for related offenses. His extradition to the US is complicated by the fact that he was not a resident of Israel when the crimes occurred. If convicted, Gurevich will serve his sentence in the US, and his case is being handled by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office.
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