Simon Leviev, the con artist subject of the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, is now being sued by the family of Israeli diamond merchant Lev Leviev according to court documents acquired by People magazine. Simon Leviev, who was born Shimon Hayut, allegedly posed as a son of the diamond mogul to bilk women out of a supposed amount of $10 million.
Lev Leviev and his family have filed a suit against the convicted can man, alleging that he posed as a member of their family and enriched himself using the clout of the Leviev name. Simon Leviev is the legal name of the Tinder Swindler subject as he had it changed legally, but he has no ties to the Leviev diamond merchant family, by blood or otherwise. According to People, the documents state that “for a long time, he [Simon Leviev] has been making false representations as being the son of Lev Leviev and receiving numerous benefits (including material ones). “They further allege that he has been “cunningly using false words, claiming to be a member of the Leviev Family, and that his family will pay and bear the costs of his benefits.”
The Tinder Swindler presents Simon Leviev as a ruthless and cunning conman. After styling himself as a relative of the renowned Leviev family — namely, the son of family patriarch Lev — proceeded to use dating apps to swindle a series of women into taking out loans and giving him the use of their credit cards, after which he would proceed to run up debts amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although the bogus Leviev was later caught and briefly imprisoned in his native Israel, he only served a brief term before being released early.
As Simon was only charged for a series of less serious offenses committed in Israel, he has never faced any punishment for the crimes he is alleged to have perpetrated in the documentary. His victims are still attempting to pay back the massive debt he accrued in their name. In the meantime, per his social media accounts, Simon is still living a life of apparent luxury.
The Levievs’ attorney, Guy Ophis, has told people that the family may seek even more legal action against the con artist. “This legal action is only the beginning of a number of lawsuits that my firm is currently working on. In the next phase, we will file a monetary suit against Hayut and any other affiliate that will work with him, including some websites that have Joint ventures with Hayut and/or have offered to buy cameos from him. Anyone that will try to capitalize from this scheme will be sued.” Ophir wrote in a statement to People.
According to TMZ, Simon Perez has been working for the video-sharing service Cameo, which charges for personalized celebrity messages for fans. TMZ claims that Leviev made $30 thousand for messages in his first three days on the site. TMZ has also reported that the infamous swindler is charging $20 thousand for personal appearances in nightclubs, over and above included charges for accommodations, private jet travel, and bottle service.
Ophir’s statement certainly carries the implication that Cameo, as well as those who may have paid for a private appearance by Simon Leviev, may be facing a lawsuit in the future.
Lev Leviev’s daughter, Chagit Leviev, told People, “I am relieved that his real identity and actions have been globally exposed, and hopefully this will bring an end to his unscrupulous actions. The lawsuit we filed today is just the first step out of many we will be taking to have him face justice and get the sentence he deserves.”