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Israeli cybersecurity official pleads not guilty in US child sex sting case

Tom Alexandrovich is accused of soliciting an undercover agent he thought was younger than 16.

Close-up of a wooden gavel. Credit: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels.
Close-up of a wooden gavel. Credit: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels.

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, an Israeli cybersecurity official whom police caught in an August child sex sting in Las Vegas, pleaded not guilty on Monday via remote video, an NBC affiliate in the city reported.

The U.S. State Department has said that he did not claim diplomatic immunity. Alexandrovich is reportedly on leave from the Israel National Cyber Directorate.

The official was allowed to return to Israel after he was arrested in Nevada. Per the indictment, he “willingly, unlawfully and knowingly” used communication tools to talk to an undercover agent whom he believed to be younger than 16 to “solicit, persuade or lure” the individual into sexual conduct.

Alexandrovich reportedly told police that he thought the person was older than 18.

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“While our ability to provide additional information at this time is limited, we will continue to keep the community informed,” the private D.C. university stated.
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