Israel extradited Alexander Block, an Israeli-Russian citizen, to the United States on Thursday to face charges related to the alleged theft of $2.8 million from the Nomad crypto bridge, according to Israel's State Attorney's Office.
Block, formerly known as Alexander Gurevich, was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport in May 2025 while preparing to fly to Russia after changing his surname and obtaining a new passport. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of California indicted him in August 2023 on four counts of computer fraud, one count of transporting stolen property, and three counts of money laundering. The U.S. requested his extradition in December 2024.
According to the U.S. extradition request, a June 2022 software update left a flaw in Nomad's smart contracts that allowed users to receive tokens on one blockchain without locking up equivalent assets on another. Operating under the username "Bitlik," Block allegedly conducted six test transfers before executing four main transfers around August 1, 2022, receiving tokens valued at more than $2.8 million. He then allegedly moved the tokens through several wallets and converted them into other cryptocurrencies to conceal their origin.
Block's actions exposed the flaw to other Nomad users, who drained a Nomad-controlled wallet holding more than $186 million in user funds, the request alleges. A few days later, Block returned some tokens and contacted a senior Nomad official on Telegram, offering to return the rest in exchange for payment for finding the flaw before cutting off contact.
The Jerusalem District Court approved Block's extradition in July 2025. On appeal, Block argued that the transactions used functions available within Nomad's automated system and that the public record of blockchain transfers undermined money laundering allegations. The Supreme Court rejected both arguments, holding that exploiting a programming flaw could constitute unlawful computer intrusion even where the software technically permitted the action. It also found that publicly visible transactions do not necessarily identify the people behind wallets or rule out efforts to conceal fund origins.
In December 2025, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a settlement with Illusory Systems, Nomad's operator, requiring the company to return recovered funds to users who have not been reimbursed. Nomad recovered about $22 million in the days after the hack.