An Israeli-born US federal prosecutor in Nevada has come under scrutiny after she declined to pursue federal charges against a senior Israeli official arrested in Las Vegas on child sex crime allegations. Sigal Chattah, the acting US attorney for Nevada, confirmed Monday that her office would not prosecute the case, instead leaving it to local authorities, which shields both the Israeli occupation and the accused official from serious consequences.
Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, was arrested earlier this month in a multi-agency sting targeting child sex predators. Police say Alexandrovich arranged online to meet a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl, and was arrested after arriving at a pre-arranged location with contraception.
Despite the seriousness of the charge, a felony carrying a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, Alexandrovich was released on a $10,000 bond and quickly returned to the occupied Palestinian territories, where he has been placed on leave. His next court hearing in Nevada is scheduled for later this month, but it is unclear whether he will return.