Suspect in $190 million Nomad hack to be extradited to US

An Israeli-Russian citizen, Alexander Gurevich, alleged to be involved in the $190 million Nomad bridge hack, is set to be extradited to the United States to face charges including money laundering.

Gurevich was reportedly arrested at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport on May 1 while attempting to board a flight to Russia.

He had recently changed his name to Alexander Block and obtained a new passport under this identity.

According to a May 5 report by The Jerusalem Post, Gurevich is accused of exploiting a vulnerability in the Nomad bridge in August 2022, stealing approximately $2.89 million in tokens.

Following his hack, dozens of other attackers exploited the same vulnerability, resulting in a total loss of $190 million.

Prosecutors claim Gurevich contacted Nomad’s chief technology officer, James Prestwich, via Telegram using a false identity.

In the messages, Gurevich admitted to seeking a crypto protocol to exploit and apologised for the trouble caused.

He voluntarily returned about $162,000 to a recovery wallet set up by Nomad.

Prestwich offered to pay Gurevich 10% of the stolen assets’ value, but negotiations stalled after Gurevich said he would consult a lawyer.

At one point, Gurevich demanded a $500,000 reward for identifying the vulnerability.

The US filed an eight-count indictment against Gurevich in August 2023 in the Northern District of California, where Nomad’s team is based.

A formal extradition request was submitted by the US in December 2024.

Money laundering charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in the US, which is harsher than potential penalties in Israel.

Israeli officials suspect Gurevich carried out the hack while in Israel, as he arrived there shortly before the exploit occurred.