Top Israeli Cybersecurity Official Arrested in US Child Exploitation Sting

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of eight individuals, including a top Israeli official, in a sting operation combating internet crimes against children.

A high-ranking Israeli cybersecurity official was among eight men arrested in a major two-week undercover sting operation, according to a press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The operation, which targeted online users seeking to exploit children, was a joint effort by the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, and multiple local agencies, including the Henderson Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.

The official has been identified as Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, 38. He was arrested alongside seven other suspects: David Wonnacott-Yahnke, 40; Jose Alberto Perez-Torres, 35; Aniket Brajeshkumar Sadani, 23; James Ramon Reddick, 23; Ramon Manuel Parra Valenzuela, 29; Neal Harrison Creecy, 46; and John Charles Duncan, 49. All eight men face felony charges of luring a child with a computer for a sex act.

A now-deleted LinkedIn profile under his name identified him as the executive director of the Israel Cyber Directorate, an Israeli government agency. At the time of his arrest, Alexandrovich was reportedly in Las Vegas for a major cybersecurity conference called Black Hat Briefings held from August 2-to-7, 2025, in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

According to the press release, Alexandrovich was booked into the Henderson Detention Center following his arrest. It is worth noting that under Nevada law, luring a child with a computer for a sex act can carry a prison sentence of one to ten years.

However, the incident has caused some confusion due to conflicting reports from the US and Israeli officials. While the LVMPD confirmed that all eight suspects were arrested and booked, Israel’s Prime Minister’s office has stated that the employee was not arrested but only questioned.

“A state employee who travelled to the US for professional matters was questioned by American authorities during his stay. The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled,” the prime minister’s office’s statement reads. Moreover, an Israeli news outlet, Ynet, reported that an employee of the Israel National Cyber Directorate had been questioned by US authorities and was back in his home country.

However, according to The Guardian’s report, Alexandrovich was charged with luring a child for a sex act but was later released and returned to Israel.

Nevertheless, the case shows the real dangers children face online and the ongoing work by law enforcement to protect them. It also shows why international cooperation and constant caution are necessary to bring offenders to justice.