The founder of an adult website linked to a mass rape trial in France has been charged

France on Thursday charged the founder of an adult website used to commit sex crimes French man who hires dozens of strangers He assaulted his heavily sedated wife– the prosecutors said.

Coco.fr founder and manager Isaac Steidl was arrested on Tuesday and charged with crimes including operating an online platform to facilitate an illegal operation by an organized gang.

French authorities shut down the anonymous platform in June 2024.

They say the site has been used to commit numerous sexual crimes, including pedophilia and rape, as well as murder.

They also said that it was activated Dominic Pellicote Recruiting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife from 2011 to 2020. Pelicot was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison, while his co-defendant was sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison.

Pelicot talked to potential attackers (without their knowledge) in the website’s “A son insu” chat room. In December, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a trial that changed his ex-wife Giselle Pellicote became a feminist icon.

Prosecutors said that Steidl, who is an Italian citizen, was ordered to pay 100,000 euro bail and was banned from leaving the country.

The 44-year-old is accused of involvement in drug trafficking, possession and distribution of child pornography, corruption of minors via the Internet, as well as money laundering and operating an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions. by an organized gang.

“Land of Predators”

Several of the crimes carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

The closure of the website came after numerous warnings from associations about the danger posed by the so-called “predator den”. Recorded on the Channel Island of Guernsey.

The online chat site required no registration and allowed its users to remain anonymous.

Steidl was already interrogated in Bulgaria in June.

Three of his relatives, suspected of playing a role in running the platform or profiting from crimes, have been questioned in France.

Two site moderators were arrested in France at the end of July 2024, a police source told AFP.

“In total, more than 23,000 acts were reported to have been committed through Coco,” Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.

Prosecutors said more than 5 million euros were seized linked to bank accounts in Hungary, Lithuania, Germany and the Netherlands.

Fifty defendants — the men who responded to Dominique Pellicote’s invitation online — were also prosecuted.

The details of the crimes shocked France and the world, drawing new attention to male violence. The impact of the court was further increased by the decision of Gisele Pelicot give up his anonymity and opt for open testing.

She said she wanted the trial to be open in the hope that “all rape victims can say to themselves: “Madame Pelicot did it, so can we.”

“I don’t want them to be ashamed anymore. The shame is not for us, it’s for them (sex offenders),” she said. “Above all, I express my will and determination to change this society.”

according to a study by Public Policy InstituteIn France, only 14% of rape allegations lead to official investigations.