‘Tinder Swindler’ star Simon Leviev released from Kutaisi prison in Georgia after two months

Simon Leviev, the main figure in the Netflix documentary series Tinder Swindler, has been released from Kutaisi Prison in the western Georgia after serving two months, his lawyer Mariam Kublashvili confirmed to Radio Liberty on Friday.

Kublashvili said Leviev left the penitentiary today without any conditions, as the case against him was fully closed. He was freed without paying bail, without any procedural requirements, and without travel restrictions.

Leviev, wanted internationally under an Interpol Red Notice, was arrested in Georgia’s Black Sea resort city of Batumi on September 15. The case against him originated in Germany, based on testimony from a Berlin-based woman who claimed she met Leviev on Tinder, became a victim of his manipulations and emotional abuse and ultimately lost up to €50,000 to his schemes. Had he faced extradition and conviction, Leviev could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. The reason for Germany’s decision to drop the case remains unclear.

Leviev, also known as Shimon Yehuda Hayut, gained worldwide notoriety through the 2022 Netflix documentary Tinder Swindler. The series depicts how he allegedly targeted women via the dating app Tinder, posing as the heir to a diamond fortune and using various fraudulent schemes to extort money.