A senior Israeli official who is accused of child sex crimes in the United States has missed a court hearing scheduled for his case, which raises the possibility that he may have fled to avoid being tried.
David Chesnoff, Tom Artiom Alexandrovich’s attorney, admitted to telling his client to not show up at the hearing in Nevada on Wednesday.
Chesnoff said, “He was told by me that he wasn’t required to be here.”
Judge Barbara Schifalacqua, who had previously been granted bail, quickly refrained from making the suggestion, stating that suspects released on bond like Alexandrovich must “make every court appearance.”
According to Schifalacqua, “I’m looking at his bond documents that indicate the court appearance that he was ordered to appear at was today.” Therefore, it is hereby denied that your oral, I suppose, request to waive him from making his present appearance here is pending.
Since Alexandrovich’s arrest was made public earlier this month, his case has been causing controversy and garnering national attention.
The Israeli official was detained on August 6, but more than a week later, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced an undercover operation “targeting child sex predators,” an incident that was not made public.
After being accused of luring or trying to lurch a child online to engage in sexual behavior, Alexandrovich was freed and allowed to return to Israel.
Due to the close ties between the US and Israel, it has become possible that he may have received preferential treatment as a result of his release without any travel restrictions.
However, President Donald Trump’s administration has declined to take any action, and Alexandrovich’s release has been described as “standard” by the neighborhood district attorney.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government falsely denied Alexandrovich’s arrest earlier this month, downplaying the incident.
Chesnoff made the suggestion on Wednesday that there was a deal he and the prosecution had going forward with Alexandrovich’s court appearances.
“My client is not here,” I said. The attorney informed the court that he was not going to be here and that we have an agreement with the state.
However, according to Schifalacqua, the district attorney’s office “has no authority to waive appearances” at an felony arraignment.
According to Schifalacqua, “nobody got a waiver from my court.”
Chesnoff and the court eventually agreed that Alexandrovich would appear remotely before the court the following week, on September 3, for his arraignment, which would include a formal presentation of the charges and a guilty or not guilty plea.
Schifalacqua warned of additional restrictions on Alexandrovich’s release, including a potential ban on using dating and social media sites with minors.
Sigal Chattah, the acting US Attorney for the District of Nevada and a Trump appointee, pointed the finger at local prosecutors as the outcry grew over allowing Alexandrovich to leave the country.
A liberal district attorney and state court judge in Nevada failed to require a suspected child molester to obtain his passport, which eluded his country, Chattah wrote on social media.
However, Steve Wolfson, the district attorney for Clark County, claimed Alexandrovich’s case was handled in a unique way.
Anyone who was booked on that charge can post that bail and be released without any conditions, Wolfson said in the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this month. “That’s what happened in this case.”
However, Richard Davies, a lawyer for the criminal defense team in Nevada, stated last week to Al Jazeera that the apparent lack of conditions for Alexandrovich’s release despite the seriousness of the charges was “fishy.”
The court ought to be concerned about safeguarding children both locally and globally. Therefore, it’s very unusual to permit this person to leave, Davies said.
Source: Aljazeera
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