Under attack by U.S. attorney, DA says Israeli official’s child sex sting bail was ‘standard’

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich’s departure prompted criticism of Wolfson on Monday by Nevada acting U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah as critics online have accused the government of interceding on behalf of the state of Israel, something the U.S. State Department has denied.

Wolfson dismissed the allegations in a Tuesday interview, stating that there had been “a lot of misinformation” surrounding the case. The district attorney said Alexandrovich’s bail was “standard,” meaning it was pre-set by the court and required no release conditions.

Court records show that Alexandrovich, 38, posted $10,000 bail on Aug. 7, a day after his arrest, and was released without appearing before a judge. A cybersecurity official, he was one of eight men arrested by local police on suspicion of luring or attempting to lure a child with computer technology to engage in sexual conduct during an early August multi-agency sting operation.

Chattah appeared to reference the case in an X post Monday evening.

“A liberal district attorney and state court judge in Nevada FAILED TO REQUIRE AN ALLEGED CHILD MOLESTER TO SURRENDER HIS PASSPORT, which allowed him to flee our country,” she wrote, adding that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi “just called me outraged” and also called FBI Director Kash Patel.

Wolfson did not immediately respond to a follow-up request for comment on the post, but during the interview, he said he did not know if Alexandrovich’s case was presented to Chattah’s office. He also said he had spoken to the U.S. attorney and would “let her speak for herself.”

“The standard bail for this charge was $10,000, so anybody, upon being booked on that charge, can post that bail and get released with no conditions, and that’s what happened in this case,” he said.

He added that “everything was normal and aboveboard,” explaining that some of the eight arrestees posted bail right away, allowing them to be released under the standard procedure.

The other defendants, who did not post bail immediately, went before a judge for a probable-cause review, Wolfson said.

Prominent Las Vegas attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld are representing Alexandrovich.

“Any suggestion that anybody in authority did anything special for him is completely inaccurate,” Chesnoff told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday. “He was treated just as anybody would be who got arrested.”

Their client “will observe all of his legal obligations and explore all of his legal avenues,” added Chesnoff, who was appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council by President Donald Trump.

If prosecutors formally charge Alexandrovich and he does not appear in court or have a lawyer appear, a warrant for his arrest would be issued, the district attorney said.

Asked if he thought authorities would be able to arrest him in Israel, Wolfson said he did not know.

“We have extradition treaties, and we have relationships with some countries,” he said. “I haven’t looked into that yet because it hasn’t become relevant yet.”

The felony charge that Alexandrovich and the other suspects face is probation-eligible, Wolfson said. The charge also carries a potential prison sentence of one to 10 years.

Defendants sometimes surrender their passports.

That happened in the case of Michael “Luke” Atwell, a former Palo Verde High School teacher and coach who was accused of sexually abusing children and who made a guilty plea last week.

After his arrest, defense attorney Jess Marchese handed over Atwell’s passport to a court employee.

Marchese said Tuesday that he has represented criminal defendants from other countries, and it’s typical for them to return home. In one drug case, he said, a defendant from Ireland handled the case through the mail.

Las Vegas defense lawyer Ross Goodman has also represented people who live in other countries. Sometimes they can appear via video, he said, but they would generally be required to show up for their sentencing.

He questioned why there is concern about Alexandrovich returning.

“What evidence is there that he’s a flight risk other than that he lives in another country?” he asked, adding he did not think it would be difficult to bring the defendant back on a warrant.

Goodman suggested Alexandrovich could be prosecuted federally, potentially resulting in a more severe sentence.

“If she’s really upset about it, she could file charges,” he said of Chattah.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com. Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Review-Journal reporter Ricardo Torres-Cortez contributed to this report.