- Israel extradited Alexander Block to the U.S. to face charges over the alleged theft of about $2.8 million from crypto bridge Nomad in 2022.
- Prosecutors allege that his exploit exposed a flaw that other users then used to drain more than $186 million from a Nomad-controlled wallet.
- Israel’s Supreme Court rejected his appeal, ruling that exploiting a programming flaw can be unlawful computer intrusion even where the software permitted it.
Israel has extradited Israeli-Russian citizen Alexander Block, formerly known as Alexander Gurevich, to the United States to face charges over the alleged theft of about $2.8 million from the Nomad crypto bridge, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of California indicted Block in August 2023 on charges including computer fraud and money laundering.
He was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport in May 2025 while preparing to fly to Russia. The charges relate to a June 2022 software update that left a flaw in Nomad’s smart contracts allowing users to receive tokens on one blockchain without locking up assets on another.
Block, operating under the username “Bitlik,” allegedly made six test transfers before executing four main transfers around August 1, 2022. He received tokens worth over $2.8 million and moved them through several wallets to conceal their origin.
His actions allegedly exposed the flaw to other Nomad users, who drained a wallet holding more than $186 million. Paradigm researcher Sam Sun likened the aftermath to “a frenzied free-for-all,” as Decrypt reported at the time.
Block returned some tokens days later and contacted a Nomad official on Telegram, offering to return the rest for a reward. He later cut off contact, prompting Nomad to approach U.S. law enforcement.
Israel’s Supreme Court rejected his appeal against extradition, according to an Israel Supreme Court judgment. The court ruled that exploiting a programming flaw constitutes unlawful computer intrusion even if the software technically permitted the action.
Nomad recovered about $22 million soon after the hack. In December 2025, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a settlement with Nomad’s operator, Illusory Systems, over the $186 million loss.
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