Israeli Model Adva Lavie Hires Attorney to Seek Extradition Ahead of LA Competency Hearing
Accused "honeypot" model Adva Lavie has retained Israeli attorney Tai Sharki to pursue extradition as she awaits a Friday competency ruling in LA.
Israeli Attorney Moves to Extradite Jailed Penthouse Pet Before Friday Competency Ruling
Accused model Adva Lavie, jailed at LA County Jail since late July, has retained an Israeli criminal defense attorney who is attempting to have her extradited to Israel — one day before a Hollywood court is scheduled to rule on whether she is mentally competent to stand trial, NY Post Metro reports.
Attorney Tai Sharki, who has himself served a lengthy prison sentence, told The Post he was hired by Lavie "just a couple days ago" and described her time in custody as "traumatic."
"My main goal is to connect her with politicians — Israel has the political power to bring her to Israel," Sharki said.
Sharki claimed the Israeli government had been made aware of Lavie's situation and that consular officials were being dispatched to assist. "They just heard about it — if Israeli officials would like to help, it could go very fast," he said.
Under Israeli law, a person generally cannot be extradited from the United States until after sentencing. Sharki argued, however, that Lavie could qualify for extradition on humanitarian grounds in the interim.
Six felony charges, a missing ankle monitor, and a revoked bail
Lavie faces six felony charges and up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors allege she used dating apps to target and steal from older, wealthy men. She was first arrested in March and released on bail under strict conditions, including GPS ankle monitoring.
Beverly Hills police spotted her without the ankle monitor on July 28, while she was dining with billionaire Steven Cloobeck at Avra, a hotspot in Beverly Hills. The monitor was later recovered at the nearby Peninsula Hotel. LA County Judge Diego Edber, who had previously issued warnings for earlier infractions — including possession of an Israeli passport and crossing county lines — this time revoked her bail and ordered her held.
Sharki said Lavie has not been eating in custody. "She weighs 45 kilos — 99 pounds. She doesn't eat because of kosher issues," he claimed, adding: "She is dealing with antisemitism. There's a camera on her all the time. She is traumatized."
Sharki also noted that in Israel, the alleged offenses would likely carry a far shorter sentence. "In Israel for those crimes, it would probably only be one or two years," he said. He described Lavie as fully Israeli by nationality but acknowledged uncertainty about her U.S. immigration status. "She looks exotic but she's 100% Israeli," Sharki said.
Competency evaluation underway
A second Lavie attorney, Jeremy Lessem, confirmed that the model is currently being evaluated by Dr. Tumu ahead of Friday's court appearance. "He happens to be a very well respected doctor who the courts trust," Lessem told The Post.
Lavie turns on former fiancé Cloobeck
Lavie was once engaged to billionaire Steven Cloobeck, who ended the relationship earlier this year following her arrest. Despite Cloobeck having funded her legal defense, Lavie has taken an adversarial stance toward him since her incarceration.
Detectives say she called her former husband, porn performer Eden Ives, and discussed "using the f–k out of" Cloobeck's American Express card. She has also indicated she would testify against Cloobeck in his own upcoming criminal case.
Cloobeck faces up to 10 years in a separate witness tampering proceeding, accused of contacting witnesses in Lavie's case and asking them not to testify. Sharki said he was uncertain whether the two remain in contact. "I'm not sure if she is still in touch with Steven," he added.
Source: NY Post Metro