The Penthouse Pet accused of targeting older men in an alleged theft scheme has retained an Israeli attorney, who is seeking to have her extradited to Israel just one day before a judge is scheduled to determine whether she is competent to stand trial.
Attorney Tai Sharki told The Post that he is working to secure the release of former model Adva Lavie from LA County Jail. She has been held there since Beverly Hills police allegedly found her without her ankle monitor in July.
Sharki, who previously served a lengthy prison sentence, said Lavie hired him “just a couple days ago” and described her time behind bars as “traumatic.”
“My main goal is to connect her with politicians. Israel has the political power to bring her to Israel,” Sharki said.
The criminal defense attorney also claimed that Israeli officials had been informed of Lavie’s situation and that representatives from the country’s consulate were being sent to assist her.
“They just heard about it. If Israeli officials would like to help, it could go very fast,” Sharki said.
Lavie faces six felony counts and up to 10 years in prison over allegations that she used dating apps to take money from older men. Following her initial arrest in March, she was released on bail under strict conditions, including GPS monitoring.
“In Israel, for those crimes, it would probably only be one or two years,” Sharki claimed.
Lavie was engaged to billionaire Steven Cloobeck until he ended the relationship earlier this year amid the fallout from her arrest.
The pair were dining at Beverly Hills restaurant Azur on July 28 when Lavie was arrested after she was allegedly seen without her court-ordered ankle monitor.
The device was later located at the nearby luxury Peninsula Hotel. The alleged lapse marked the latest violation of Lavie’s bail conditions.
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Los Angeles Judge Diego Edber had previously issued warnings over other alleged violations, including Lavie’s possession of an Israeli passport and travel outside Los Angeles County.
Following the ankle-monitor incident, Edber ordered Lavie jailed and revoked her bail.
Lavie is not eating in jail because of concerns over kosher food, according to Sharki. “She weighs 45 kilos (99 pounds). She doesn’t eat because of kosher issues,” he claimed.
“She is dealing with antisemitism. There’s a camera on her all the time. She is traumatized,” he added.
Israeli law generally prevents a person from being extradited from the United States until after sentencing, Sharki said. However, he claimed Lavie could potentially be transferred for “humanitarian purposes.”
Sharki also said Lavie is an Israeli citizen but acknowledged that he was uncertain about her status in the United States. “She looks exotic, but she’s 100% Israeli,” he said.
Lavie is undergoing an evaluation by Dr. Tumu, according to another member of her legal team, attorney Jeremy Lessem. “He happens to be a very well-respected doctor whom the courts trust,” Lessem told The Post.
Lavie is scheduled to appear in a Hollywood courtroom Friday, when a judge is expected to rule on whether she is mentally competent to stand trial.
Since being jailed, the model has launched an aggressive campaign against her former fiancé, Cloobeck, even though he helped finance her defense after her arrest.
She called her porn star ex-husband Eden Ives and discussed “using the f–k out of” Cloobeck’s American Express card, according to detectives.
She also said she would testify against the billionaire in his upcoming witness tampering case.
Cloobeck also faces 10 years for allegedly contacting witnesses in Lavie’s case and asking them not to testify. “I’m not sure if she is still in touch with Steven,” Sharki added.