Newly released body camera footage has shed fresh light on the August arrest of Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a senior Israeli cyber official, who was detained in a Las Vegas suburb as part of an FBI sting targeting online child exploitation.
The footage, released this week by Las Vegas news outlets, shows FBI agents and local police surrounding Alexandrovich’s vehicle in O’Callaghan Park in Henderson, Nevada. One officer is heard shouting, “Get out of the car, hands behind your back,” as Alexandrovich is pulled from the vehicle and placed under arrest. He is then seen being escorted to a police station.
According to court documents, Alexandrovich had been communicating on the dating app Pure—intended for users over 18—with an undercover FBI agent posing as a 15-year-old girl. After the conversation moved to WhatsApp, transcripts presented to a grand jury show that the agent twice stated she was 15. Despite this, Alexandrovich allegedly continued a sexually explicit conversation, discussed meeting in person, and agreed to bring condoms.
The meeting was arranged in Henderson, roughly 20 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. The FBI and local police arrested him upon arrival.
Following his arrest, Alexandrovich was released on standard bail without first appearing before a judge. Under the terms of that procedure, he paid bond and waived a hearing to determine conditions of detention. As a result, no restrictions were placed on his travel, and he left the United States before a formal indictment was filed or court-imposed release terms were set. Legal sources in Nevada later clarified that the judge who reviewed the case retroactively could not impose new conditions after his departure.
In his police interview, Alexandrovich said he believed the girl was 18, as initially indicated on the dating app, and that he used the alias “Adam.” He claimed the conversation’s sexual tone was initiated by the undercover agent and said he was “embarrassed for being arrested.” He also asked to take a polygraph test to prove he had no intention of going through with the meeting.
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Excerpts from the transcript of conversations between Alexandrovich and the undercover agent
Alexandrovich told investigators he has worked in an Israeli government office for 14 years and had traveled to the U.S. for a professional conference, including meetings with the National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI. He said he had never been arrested before and was unfamiliar with the American legal system.
His case has since been transferred to Clark County District Court, where he was formally hit earlier this month with a felony charge of luring or attempting to lure a child or mentally ill person to commit a sex act “with use of computer technology.” The judge has allowed Alexandrovich to participate in proceedings remotely. His next hearing is scheduled for October 27.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the arrest in a statement, saying: “The Department of State is aware that Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in Las Vegas and given a court date for charges related to soliciting sex electronically from a minor. He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date.” The statement added that “Any claims that the U.S. government intervened are false.”
