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The infamous "Tinder Swindler" has stated from his prison cell that he doesn’t recall “conning women out of hundreds of thousands.”
Simon Leviev, 35, has publicly addressed the allegations of fraud for the first time.
The notorious con artist deceived women by pretending to be an heir to a diamond fortune.
He later became the focus of a 2022 Netflix documentary.
He served a 15-month sentence in Israel for fraud, forgery, and theft in 2019.
Speaking from his prison cell, the Israeli con artist confessed to local celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili that he is no saint but has no memory of the alleged crimes he faces, according to reports from MailOnline .
The notorious scammer has appointed Ms. Kublashvili as his new attorney, who has since compared him to The Wolf of Wall Street.
Similar to the disgraced stockbroker portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, she believes that Leviev has turned over a new leaf.
His recent claim follows an arrest last month under mysterious circumstances after an Interpol Red Notice was issued for alleged fraud in Germany.
Mr. Leviev was apprehended at Batumi International Airport in Georgia on September 14th.
He is currently detained at Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment No. 2 and is awaiting extradition proceedings.
If found guilty, he could face up to ten years in prison.
Yesterday, Mr. Leviev communicated through Ms. Kublashvili for the first time since his dramatic arrest, asserting that he has no memory of the incident.
He stated, “Given the circumstances, I believe I’m either being framed or there’s been some misunderstanding.”
Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, became the subject of a 2022 Netflix documentary after spending years luring women on the dating app Tinder while pretending to be an heir to the Leviev diamond fortune.
He falsely claimed to be the son of Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev, despite having no relation to the family.
He was arrested in 2019 in Greece and subsequently extradited to Israel, where he served a 15-month sentence for fraud, forgery, and theft.
His legal team is now questioning why an Interpol notice was issued when he entered Georgia without the Germans first consulting authorities in his home country.
Mr. Leviev’s Israeli lawyer Sharon Nahari commented, “Arresting him in a third country, instead of addressing the issue directly through Israel, is unjust and unacceptable.”
Mr. Nahari also described the case as “disproportionate” and “based on flimsy evidence.”
Two of Mr. Leviev’s victims, Pernilla Sjoholm and Cecilie Fjellhoy, have since shared their traumatic experiences.
Pernilla, 38, contemplated suicide upon discovering the truth about Leviev.
Cecilie, 36, has admitted that she is still traumatized by the entire 
