Israeli conman Simon Leviev, who gained worldwide attention through the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been released from custody in Georgia after spending two months detained while awaiting extradition to Germany, his lawyer confirmed on Friday.
Leviev, 35, born Shimon Yehuda Hayut, became infamous after journalists and media outlets uncovered a long-running pattern of romance scams and financial offences as German officials sought to bring him to trial. He was detained at Batumi airport on September 15following an Interpol red notice requested by Germany and had been held in a penitentiary facility in Kutaisi in western Georgia.
Complaint Triggered German Case
According to his lawyer Mariam Kublashvili, Leviev was released «without any conditions» after Germany withdrew its extradition request. She explained that the case had been «fully closed» and that he was not asked to post bail, make any legal commitments or comply with travel limits.
Kublashvili said German prosecutors had launched a case after a woman in Berlin accused Leviev of swindling her out of as much as €50,000 after they met on Tinder. If convicted, he could have faced a prison term of up to ten years.
The reason for Germany’s decision to abandon the case remains unclear although Kublashvili claimed it was due to a «lack of evidence.»
Scam That Shocked Europe
Between 2017 and 2019 Leviev is alleged to have used Tinder to present himself as a wealthy heir and persuade women to lend him large sums of money which he never returned. His operation became one of the most high-profile examples of «catfishing,» where a fabricated online identity is used to draw victims into emotional and financial traps.
His elaborate scheme reportedly featured staged displays of wealth including luxury travel, bodyguards and private jets which helped make the fraud appear convincing and costly.
The Netflix documentary released in 2022 told the stories of several women who say they fell victim to his deception. According to Netflix, Leviev «ultimately defrauded victims in Norway, Finland and Sweden out of an estimated $10 mln.»
