Home / Crime and Justice / Victims Shocked as 'Tinder Swindler' Avoids Lengthy Sentence
Victims Shocked as 'Tinder Swindler' Avoids Lengthy Sentence
16 Nov, 2025
Summary
- 'Tinder Swindler' Shimon Hayut released from prison in Georgia
- Victims disappointed he did not receive longer sentence
- Hayut still faces ongoing legal cases in Israel and the UK
In a surprising turn of events, Shimon Hayut, the infamous 'Tinder Swindler', was released from prison in Georgia last week, much to the shock and disappointment of his victims. Hayut, 35, had been accused of swindling women across Europe out of millions by posing as a member of a wealthy diamond merchant family on the dating app.
Hayut had been facing up to 10 years in prison after being arrested in Georgia in September for an alleged £38,000 fraud committed in Germany. However, in a plea deal, he was instead given a one-year suspended sentence, allowing him to walk free after just two months of incarceration.
One of Hayut's victims, Swedish businesswoman Pernilla Sjoholm, who claims she was swindled out of £39,000, expressed her dismay at the lenient sentence. "I'm disappointed that he's not going to spend more years in prison," she said. However, Sjoholm noted that this was still a "win" as Hayut had been convicted and admitted to his crimes.
