Eli Okkon, an Israeli attorney representing some high-profile clients, including the infamous Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev, claimed he had been robbed in Budapest by a woman he met through the popular dating app.
Okkon claims to have also been physically assaulted and that the crimes against him were of antisemitic nature, as he says his date, who said her name was Alexa, remarked at one point that "Jews know how to sniff out real estate opportunities". He believes he was deliberately targeted.
"She knew I was Israeli and remarked to me that Jews know how to sniff out real estate opportunities and make a lot of money. She suggested we go up to my room. When we got there, I told her I'm not interested in hooking up but rather looking for someone to settle down with," he said.
"At some point, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, she was literally storming out the door. Later, I realized that she had stolen my passport, 12,000 euros, all of my credit cards and some jewelry. I filed a report with the police."
Stranded in a foreign country with no passport or money, Okkon rented an apartment on Airbnb. Okkun claims he was approached outside the apartment by a drunk man who mentioned Alexa's name and scolded him for going to the police for the robbery.
"He told me 'you filed a complaint, you look Jewish' and beat me half-to-death. I blacked out," he says.
"I was lying on the sidewalk for three hours. When I woke up in the morning there was a man there who woke me up and told me they don't sleep on the streets around here."
I have no doubt this was a robbery and an antisemitic assault. I think it was her pimp who was sent to beat me up."
Okkon both advises and represents Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Hayut, an Israeli conman popularly known as the "Tinder Swindler" after a hit-Netflix documentary of the same name covering his escapades.
The battered attorney is still in Budapest and is trying to recuperate from the trauma.
"I'd like to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and tell him what antisemites in his country are doing to Jews," he said.
Unfortunately, I'm not receiving any updates from local police about where the investigation stands or whether they managed to catch the swindler who robbed me."