The Leviev family today filed a criminal complaint against Simon Leviev, the subject of the recent Netflix documentary the "Tinder Swindler." The complaint charges that he pretends to be the son of Israeli businessman Lev Leviev and harms the good name of the family and its privacy, despite the fact that he has no connection to the family.
A criminal complaint is a criminal charge filed by a private individual rather than the state, as is normal. Any individual has the right to file a complaint about alleged offenses. In the current instance, Simon Leviev is charged with the offenses of libelous publications, infringing privacy, and violating trademark orders.
The criminal complaint, which was filed by Advs. Guy Ophir and Victoria Reznik, charges that Simon Leviev, was born Shimon Yehuda Hayut, changed his name to Simon Leviev, and over a protracted period has pretended to be a member of the Leviev family, in both Israel and around the world.
As a result, the complaint says, "He receives many benefits (including materials), all through cunning and false claims that he is a member of the Leviev family and that his (Leviev) family will pay and bear the costs of these benefits.
The Leviev family also claims that Simon Leviev uses the LLD Diamonds trademark in order to make his victims believe that he indeed belongs to the diamonds company and is part of the Leviev family. The complaint also alleges that while pretending to be a member of the Leviev family he has conned, defrauded, deceived and harmed women, men and businesses in Israel and worldwide, with these deeds associated with the family and the family's name."
The criminal complaint also refers to the complaints by women shown on the Netflix documentary that Simon Leviev had taken money from them after meeting him on the dating app Tinder. "As part of his fraudulent activities, he used the Tinder dating app to locate women, undertake emotional manipulation of them, extort money from them through cunning and eventually persuade them to give him huge amounts, on the pretext that he was fleeing from people out to harm him and he was therefore prevented from using the family's assets."
The complaint also said that Simon Leviev approached businesses, hotels, jet and yacht rental companies, and presented himself as a member of the Leviev family and received many benefits, after promises that his father Lev Leviev would guarantee payment.
Adv. Yaki Kahan, who represents Simon Leviev, said, "The place for criminal matters to be clarified is as part of a police investigation. My client has never been summoned to an investigation in this context, meaning that the first condition for filing such a procedure has not been implemented, or alternatively the case was closed before an investigation.
"In any event, we seem to be dealing with an action undertaken as part of a public relations campaign by the Leviev family, despite the fact that my client legally changed his name several years ago.
"My client denies all allegations made against him. After an in-depth study of the relevant document, we will be able to respond in detail."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 28, 2022.
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