The swindler Simon Leviev (real name Shimon Yehuda Hayut), an Israeli citizen, has been released from prison in Tbilisi. He was arrested last September upon arrival in Batumi on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by the German government on suspicion of large-scale fraud.
Leviev’s lawyer, Sharon Nahari, told Ynet: “In light of the review of the evidence, the partial expiration of the statute of limitations for the alleged crimes committed in 2017, and significant deficiencies in the case, I entered into a plea bargain with the German authorities and closed the remaining cases against my client. Thus, all warrants for his arrest have been canceled and he is being released from prison in Tbilisi.”
Let us recall that in November 2024, the Tel Aviv Magistrate Court sentenced Shimon Yehuda Hayut, known as Tinder scammer Simon Leviev, to pay 415 thousand shekels in compensation to Kate Conlin, who was a victim of his scam. The decision was made unilaterally after Leviev did not submit written objections to the claim. The statement of claim filed by Conlin stated that Leviev caused her “moral and physical harm” and destroyed her career in Israel. In addition, according to the lawsuit, Leviev threatened Conlin and forced her to take out loans from several banks in his name, but did not return the money to her.
Shimon Hayut, who posed as Leviev’s son, was actually born and raised in Bnei Brak. His father, Rabbi Yohanan Hayut, works for El Al airlines. Hayut Jr. is accused of several cases of fraud in Israel. In 2011, he managed to escape from the country using a fake passport just before his sentencing in court.
After fleeing Israel, the charming fraudster posed as a billionaire, lived in luxury hotels and held parties on yachts, and when the money ran out, he borrowed money from his wealthy girlfriends, whom he met using the mobile phone application Tinder.
He was arrested in 2019 in Greece during a joint operation between the Israeli police and Interpol, and was extradited to Israel, where he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. 5 months after he began serving his sentence, he was released due to the coronavirus epidemic. The streaming television company Netflix made a documentary based on his adventures, “The Tinder Scammer.”
In March 2024, consideration began of a private criminal charge (“kovlana plitit”) filed against Hayut by the family of businessman Lev Leviev.