Key facts
- Alexander Block, formerly Alexander Gurevich, was extradited from Israel to the U.S.
- He faces charges over an alleged $2.8 million theft from crypto bridge Nomad in August 2022.
- Block's alleged exploit exposed a flaw that led to a further $186 million being drained.
- Israel's Supreme Court ruled that exploiting a programming flaw can be unlawful computer intrusion.
- He was arrested in May 2025 and the U.S. requested extradition in December 2024.
Israel has extradited Alexander Block, formerly known as Alexander Gurevich, to the United States to face charges over the alleged theft of approximately $2.8 million from crypto bridge Nomad in August 2022. Block was transferred to U.S. authorities early Thursday after his appeals in Israel were unsuccessful. He was arrested in May 2025 at Ben Gurion Airport while attempting to fly to Russia.
Prosecutors allege that Block exploited a flaw in Nomad's smart contracts, which resulted from a June 2022 software update. He allegedly conducted test transfers before carrying out four main transfers, receiving tokens worth over $2.8 million. His actions reportedly exposed the flaw to other users, who subsequently drained a Nomad-controlled wallet of more than $186 million in user funds.
Block later offered to return the stolen funds in exchange for a payment for finding the flaw, but then cut off contact. The U.S. requested his extradition in December 2024, and the Jerusalem District Court approved it in July 2025. Israel's Supreme Court upheld the extradition, ruling that exploiting a programming flaw can be considered unlawful computer intrusion, even if the software technically allowed the action. The court also stated that publicly visible transactions do not preclude efforts to conceal the origin of funds.