Israel Sends Nomad Bridge Suspect to U.S. Over Alleged $2.8 Million Theft

U.S. charges against Alexander Block, whom Israel has extradited, concern an alleged 2022 theft of $2.8 million from Nomad Bridge; the exploit was followed by losses exceeding $186 million.

The U.S. case describes six test transfers and four larger transactions. Prosecutors allege Block, previously known as Alexander Gurevich, moved tokens among multiple wallets and exchanged them for other cryptocurrencies to hide their origin. He holds Israeli and Russian citizenship.

Prosecutors allege that Block's actions exposed a weakness in Nomad's smart contract. Afterward, other users moved tokens worth more than $186 million from wallets controlled by the project.

Israel's Supreme Court rejected Block's challenge to extradition. The court said exploiting a software flaw may qualify as unlawful computer access even if the software permits the operation. It also noted that public blockchain records do not necessarily identify who controls a wallet or rule out efforts to conceal where funds came from. Chief Justice Isaac Amit later denied Block's request for another hearing.

Nomad was a cross-chain bridge, and the 2022 case began with one alleged theft before broader withdrawals followed.