Suspected Crypto Thief Nabbed in Israel: Faces Potential Extradition to U.S. Over Alleged $190 Million Heist in Nomad Bridge.
In the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency, Alexander Gurevich, a 47-year-old dual citizen of Israel and Russia, found himself at the epicenter of a major controversy. Here's the lowdown on his alleged role in the infamous Nomad bridge hack and the dramatic events that followed.
The Unraveling of Nomad Bridge
In August 2022, the cryptosphere was shaken when the Nomad bridge protocol was compromised, resulting in a substantial loss of approximately $190 million in cryptocurrency. The case is unusual, as Gurevich is said to have been the first to exploit a loophole in Nomad's system, stealing around $2.89 million in cryptocurrency. However, it was the chain reaction of copycat attacks that led to the catastrophic total loss.
Blockchain researcher Samczsun explained, "This hack was chaotic - you didn't need to be a coding whizz to partake. All you needed was a successful transaction and the audacity to replace someone else's address with your own." Data from Coinbase reveals that no fewer than 88 unique wallet addresses were involved, with the copycats withdrawing around $88 million.
Not every participant in this digital caper was a miscreant. Some were ethical hackers, or "whitehats," who later returned the funds they had plundered during the attack.
Close Encounters with Authorities
Following the heist, Gurevich is said to have reached out to Nomad's chief technology officer, James Prestwich, via Telegram. Assuming a false identity, he is reported to have confessed to "amateurishly" seeking an exploitable crypto protocol. During their communications, he expressed remorse for the trouble he had caused Prestwich and his team, and even repaid around $162,000 to a recovery wallet set up by Nomad.
Intriguingly, Prestwich offered Gurevich a ten percent reward on the assets he had stolen - a proposition that Gurevich declined, stating he would consult with his lawyer before proceeding. At some point during the negotiations, Gurevich asked for a $500,000 bounty for identifying the vulnerability, a request that isn't unheard of in the crypto world, where exploiters sometimes negotiate to keep a portion of the stolen assets in exchange for returning the rest.
On August 16, 2023, US federal authorities filed an eight-count indictment against Gurevich in the Northern District of California. A warrant for his arrest was also issued at this time. However, Gurevich managed to remain on the loose until his arrest at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 1, 2025, when he was attempting to flee to Russia with an altered identity. He is currently awaiting extradition to the United States to stand trial on charges of computer crimes and money laundering, which could carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
- In the complex world of cryptocurrency, Alexander Gurevich, despite allegedly exploiting a loophole in the Nomad bridge system to steal approximately $2.89 million, also had an encounter with Nomad's chief technology officer, James Prestwich.
- During their Telegram conversation, Gurevich confessed to seeking an exploitable cryptocurrency protocol, expressed remorse for the trouble he had caused, and even returned around $162,000 to a recovery wallet set up by Nomad.
- Interestingly, Prestwich offered Gurevich a ten percent reward on the assets he had stolen, but Gurevich declined, stating he would consult with his lawyer before proceeding.
- In one of the negotiations, Gurevich asked for a $500,000 bounty for identifying the vulnerability, a request that isn't uncommon in the crypto world, where exploiters sometimes negotiate to keep a portion of the stolen assets in exchange for returning the rest.
- After being indicted in the Northern District of California in August 2023 for computer crimes and money laundering, Gurevich was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 1, 2025, when he was attempting to flee to Russia with an altered identity. He is currently awaiting extradition to the United States for trial, potentially facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
