US says it played no part in release of Israeli official accused soliciting sex from minor

WASHINGTON — The US State Department said on Monday that the American government played no role in the release of an Israeli official charged with soliciting sex electronically from a minor.

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich was one of eight people charged last week following an undercover operation “targeting child sex predators,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said in a statement issued last week.

Alexandrovich faces a felony charge of luring or attempting to lure a child or mentally ill person to commit a sex act “with use of computer technology,” according to Nevada State court records reviewed by Reuters.

Israeli media said on Thursday Alexandrovich, who they described as a senior department head in Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, was released by US authorities and is back in Israel.

Reuters could not establish why Alexandrovich was in the Las Vegas area, but at the time the city was hosting Black Hat, one of the cybersecurity industry’s most prominent conferences. A representative for Black Hat said the conference did not share data on attendees.

The report that an Israeli official accused of a felony sex crime was allowed to return home drew a storm of speculation online.

Alexandrovich “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 State Department said Monday on the social media site X.

Bond paid

The court records reviewed by Reuters show a $10,000 bond was posted in Alexandrovich’s case at the Henderson Detention Center, southeast of Las Vegas, on August 7.

Reuters could not immediately confirm Alexandrovich’s whereabouts and could not immediately locate contact information for him.

The records indicate he is due back in court on August 27.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately return messages.

Israeli media quoted the Prime Minister’s Office as denying that Alexandrovich was arrested, saying only that a “state employee” was “questioned by American authorities during his stay” and he had “returned to Israel as scheduled.”

Reuters could not immediately ascertain the circumstances around Alexandrovich’s arrest.

The Las Vegas police statement credited the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Nevada Attorney General’s office, the Henderson Police Department, the North Las Vegas Police, and the Department of Homeland Security with helping to pull off the undercover operation.

The FBI referred Reuters to a statement from the Nevada US Attorney’s office, which in turn said the case was being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s office in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas and Henderson.

The District Attorney’s office did not immediately reply to an email requesting a comment.

The Nevada Attorney General’s office referred questions to the Henderson Police Department, which did not return messages seeking comment.

The North Las Vegas Police referred questions to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, who did not return messages. The Department of Homeland Security did not reply to emails seeking comment.