Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

Las Vegas Police conducted a two-week sting operation that led to the arrest and questioning of Tom Alexandrovich, a top Israeli cybersecurity official, and seven other men for soliciting sex with a minor online. And although all of the men are facing felony charges, Alexandrovich jumped on a plane back to Israel two days following the arrest. 

The charges in question include Luring a Child with Computer for Sex Act, and Alexandrovich was booked into the Henderson Detention Center. Alexandrovich is the director of the Israel Cyber Directorate, which falls under the control of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

“We would like to remind parents to discuss with their children the dangers of engaging with strangers online. Parents are encouraged to routinely monitor their children’s activity on social media and other online applications to prevent them from becoming victims of a child sex predator,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Office of Public Information said.

38-year-old Alexandrovich’s cybersecurity career includes intelligence and defense, and was awarded the Israel Defense Prize for his work, according to the Jerusalem Post, which obtained a statement from the Cyber Directorate:

“The employee updated the directorate that during his trip to the United States, he was questioned by the US authorities on matters unrelated to his work, and he returned to Israel at the planned time of return… The directorate has not received additional details through authorized channels to date. Should such details be received, the directorate will act accordingly. At this stage, by joint decision, the employee has gone on leave to deal with the matter until things become clear.” 

The sting operation was carried out by agents from the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, North Las Vegas Police, and the Nevada Attorney General’s office.

The other men arrested are 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. 

People in the U.S. facing federal charges, like Alexandrovich, generally can leave the country with court approval after undergoing a risk assessment, like severity of charges of likelihood of fleeing from prosecution.