Shocking Arrest at Ben-Gurion: Crypto Hacker Caught Red-Handed

Hold onto your hats, folks! Alexander Gurevich, a slick dual Russian-Israeli citizen, got nabbed right at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport on May 1. This 47-year-old mastermind was trying to slip out of the country to Russia, sporting a brand new name. Can you believe it?

Here's the juicy part: Gurevich is accused of being a major player in the wild 2022 hack of Nomad, a US-based crypto bridge. This audacious theft raked in nearly $190 million in digital loot. Talk about a heist!

According to a US extradition request, this guy didn't just sit on the sidelines. Nope, he dove right into the action, exploiting a juicy vulnerability in Nomad's code and walking away with a cool $2.89 million in tokens. Cha-ching!

But wait, it gets even crazier. Gurevich had the audacity to reach out to Nomad's CTO under a fake identity, saying sorry, and returning just a sliver of the stolen funds. And get this, he had the nerve to demand a $500,000 "reward" for finding the bug. Bold move, right?

When Nomad tossed him a 10% offer of the stolen assets, Gurevich ghosted them. Talk about a smooth operator!

Just when he thought he was in the clear, Gurevich pulled off a last-minute name change to "Alexander Block" on April 29 and snagged a new passport the very next day. But the Israeli police were hot on his trail and nabbed him at the airport before he could jet off. He showed up in court on May 2, cuffed and caught.

20 years in prison

US prosecutors aren't messing around. They slapped Gurevich with an eight-count indictment in 2023, hitting him with charges like computer fraud and money laundering. Ouch!

If he's found guilty in the US, Gurevich could be staring down the barrel of up to 20 years in the slammer. That's a far cry from what he'd face under Israeli law.

This guy immigrated to Israel back in 2017 but spent most of his time gallivanting around, especially in Africa. Now, Israel's State Attorney's Office is hot on his trail, pushing for extradition with a hearing set for Sunday. Buckle up, this ride's just getting started!