Israeli national Simon Leviev, known for his involvement in romance fraud, was arrested in Georgia at the request of Interpol. Leviev, 34, was detained upon arrival at Batumi airport, as confirmed by the Georgian interior ministry. He gained notoriety from the 2022 Netflix documentary “The Tinder Swindler,” which detailed his alleged fraudulent activities involving around $10 million. Leviev reportedly posed as a wealthy heir on the dating app Tinder, deceiving women into lending him substantial amounts of money, which he did not repay. He has consistently denied these allegations.
The details surrounding Leviev’s recent arrest have not been disclosed by authorities. His legal name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, and he previously faced convictions for fraud in 2019, resulting in a 15-month prison sentence; however, he was released after only five months. According to reports, his lawyer stated that Leviev had been traveling without restrictions prior to his arrest.
Leviev’s fraudulent scheme, which took place between 2017 and 2019, involved creating a false identity to lure women into romantic relationships, where he would showcase a lavish lifestyle including private jets and luxury trips. Victims recounted how they were drawn in by extravagant gifts before he fabricated stories about being pursued by enemies, leading them to send him large sums of money before severing all communication.
Cecilie Fjellhøy, one of the victims featured in the documentary, claimed to have given Leviev over $270,000. Another woman, Iren Tranov, recently filed a lawsuit in Israel for 414,000 shekels, alleging he never repaid money loaned to him. Additional allegations against Leviev include emotional and physical abuse from a former girlfriend, Kate Konlin, who reported an incident of violence that led her to seek medical attention.
“The Tinder Swindler” quickly became Netflix’s most-watched documentary across 90 countries upon its release in February 2022.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn95jjn1q40o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss