Adva Lavie, a Los Angeles model and social media personality who has also gone by the name Mia Ventura, is at the center of a high-drama criminal case that prosecutors say started on dating apps and ended inside some very expensive homes. Lavie has pleaded not guilty to a slate of felony charges and is out of custody on electronic monitoring while she waits for an April 6 arraignment. Prosecutors say the alleged crime spree stretched across wealthy pockets of Los Angeles County and involved victims she first met online.
This week, prosecutors charged Lavie with six felony counts: two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, two counts of grand theft, and two counts of first-degree residential burglary, including one count with a person present. If convicted as charged, she could face up to 11 years and eight months in state prison, according to NBC Los Angeles. The outlet reports she was ordered to stay away from the alleged victims and to wear an ankle monitor as a condition of her release.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not start out talking about a social media influencer. Back in October, investigators quietly put out a countywide alert seeking men targeted via dating apps after earlier media coverage identified a suspect. Not long after, the Los Angeles Times reviewed court documents showing that formal charges had been filed in early November. Investigators told the paper they believe Lavie used dating apps from 2023 through 2025 to build relationships that got her inside homes in Westlake Village, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and other affluent corners of the county.
One alleged caper unfolded well outside Los Angeles. During a podcast taping in Las Vegas, the host says Lavie slipped into a green room and rifled through purses belonging to female guests, walking off with cash and cards before heading back to the panel as if nothing had happened, according to ABC7. Guests later told investigators and reporters that attempted charges popped up on one victim’s credit card, and stylists confirmed bookings under the name Mia Ventura. Those details, they said, helped push detectives to look beyond older male victims and consider younger women and industry colleagues as possible targets too.
How Investigators Say The Scheme Worked
According to court filings and interviews described by the Los Angeles Times, Lavie allegedly posed as a girlfriend, travel companion, or close friend to build trust and secure access to private spaces. Once inside, authorities say, she helped herself to cash, gold, and high-end designer goods. What detectives first saw as a pattern involving older, wealthy men allegedly broadened over time to include younger men, women, and entertainment-industry contacts.
Detectives have publicly urged anyone who thinks they may have been targeted to contact the Sheriff’s Department’s Lost Hills Station or their local law enforcement agency. They say they are still trying to piece together the full scope of the alleged scheme and to identify other potential victims who might not have connected their missing items to a crime.
Legal Picture And What Comes Next
For now, the six-count complaint on file captures only the charges prosecutors have brought so far. Lavie has pleaded not guilty and was released on home detention with an electronic ankle monitor, per NBC Los Angeles. Her defense attorney is expected to appear with her at the April 6 arraignment, where a judge could set future court dates and address any new filings in the case. Investigators say the probe remains active as they continue tracking new leads and potential witnesses.
Law enforcement officials say the case is a flashy example of a quieter, steadily growing problem: romance and confidence scams that increasingly launch on dating apps. Those scams are getting more sophisticated and more expensive for victims, the FBI warned in a February advisory that detailed rising losses and new AI-enabled tactics, according to FBI San Francisco. The bureau urges people never to send money or share personal identification with anyone they have not met in person, and to report suspected scams through IC3.gov so investigators can track patterns and build cases.
Anyone who believes they might have been targeted in connection with the Lavie investigation is urged to contact detectives at the Lost Hills Station or their local agency. The sheriff’s alert listed Detective Lopez at 818-878-1808 and LAPD Detective Marsh at 818-374-9500, according to the initial search notice for suspected dating-app burglaries. Detectives say those tips could help them confirm patterns and identify additional victims as the case moves toward trial.
