Israel extradited Alexander Block to the United States early Thursday to face charges over the alleged theft of about USD 2.8 million in digital assets from cryptocurrency platform Nomad, the State Attorney’s Office announced.
Block, an Israeli-Russian citizen formerly known as Alexander Gurevich, was transferred to American authorities after extensive legal proceedings in Israel, including an unsuccessful Supreme Court appeal and a subsequent request for a further hearing.
The case concerns allegations that he exploited a security flaw in August 2022 to obtain digital tokens - without depositing the assets that were supposed to back them - and then moved the proceeds between digital wallets to conceal their origin.
According to the Supreme Court judgment, US authorities indicted Block in the Northern District of California in August 2023 on eight counts involving computer offenses, transferring stolen property, and money laundering. The US requested his extradition in December 2024.
Block was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport in May 2025 while preparing to travel to Russia. He had changed his surname from Gurevich to Block and obtained a passport in his new name shortly before his arrest.
Block identified flaw in crypto platform, withdrew about 2.8m in tokens
Nomad, the cryptocurrency platform, operated as a bridge between blockchain networks, allowing users to lock digital assets on one network and receive corresponding tokens on another.
According to the American extradition request, Block identified a flaw that allowed him to bypass the check confirming that the original assets had been locked. Prosecutors allege that, after testing the vulnerability, he withdrew about USD 2.8m. in tokens on August 1, 2022, without supplying the corresponding assets.
He then allegedly converted the tokens into other cryptocurrencies and transferred them between wallets to obscure the source of the funds.
The Jerusalem District Court approved his extradition in July 2025. His appeal challenged whether the alleged conduct constituted criminal offenses under Israeli law and whether the evidence was sufficient to support extradition.
Block argues transactions used Nomad functions
Block argued that the transactions used functions available within Nomad’s automated system and that the public record of blockchain transfers undermined the money-laundering allegations.
The Supreme Court rejected those arguments, holding that exploiting a programming flaw could constitute unlawful computer intrusion, even where the software technically permitted the action. It also explained that publicly visible transactions did not necessarily identify the people controlling the wallets or rule out efforts to conceal the source of funds.
The State Attorney’s Office said Supreme Court President Isaac Amit subsequently rejected his request for a further hearing. Thursday’s transfer was coordinated by the prosecution’s International Department and the Israel Police’s operational coordination and Interpol units.
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · SARAH BEN-NUN
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