A convicted con artist and star of Netflix’s 2022 hit documentary The Tinder Swindler has been arrested in Georgia, officials confirmed
Simon Leviev, 34, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained at Batumi airport in southwest Georgia at Interpol’s request, the country’s interior ministry said on Monday.
Leviev rose to global infamy after the documentary exposed a $10 million romance scam. He allegedly posed as the heir to a diamond empire on Tinder, luring women into lending him large sums of money, which he never repaid. He has consistently denied the allegations.
Authorities have not disclosed why he was arrested. His lawyer told Israeli media that Leviev had been “traveling freely around the world” and they were still seeking clarity on the case.
In 2019, Leviev was convicted of four counts of fraud in a separate case, serving five months of a 15-month prison sentence.
Between 2017 and 2019, he allegedly seduced women with luxury trips, gifts, and private jets before claiming he was being hunted by “enemies” and needed money. Victims said he vanished after receiving the funds.
Cecilie Fjellhøy, one of the women featured in the documentary, said she gave him more than $270,000. Last year, another victim, Iren Tranov, sued him in Israel for 414,000 shekels (£91,000), claiming she never recovered the 144,000 shekels (£31,000) she lent him.
In 2023, Leviev’s ex-girlfriend, model Kate Konlin, accused him of emotional and physical abuse, alleging he pushed her during an argument, injuring her foot. Leviev denied ever harming any woman.
The Tinder Swindler became Netflix’s most-watched documentary in 90 countries following its February 2022 release.
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