Founder of Adult Website Charged by France in Connection with Mass Rape Trial: Prosecutors

Founder of Adult Website Charged by France in Connection with Mass Rape Trial: Prosecutors

On Thursday, France officially charged the creator of an adult website that was utilized for committing sexual crimes, including those carried out by a French individual who enlisted numerous individuals to sexually assault his heavily sedated wife, according to prosecutors.

Isaac Steidl, the creator and operator of the Coco.fr website, faced charges for offenses including running an online platform that allowed illegal transactions by an organized gang following his arrest on Tuesday. French officials closed down the anonymous site in June 2024, claiming it was used to perpetrate numerous sexual crimes, including pedophilia and rape, as well as murder. They also stated that it facilitated Dominique Pelicot’s recruitment of multiple individuals to assault his deeply sedated wife from 2011 to 2020.

Pelicot engaged with potential attackers in a chatroom on the website named “A son insu” (without their awareness). In December, he received a 20-year prison sentence following a trial that transformed his now ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, into a symbol of feminism. Prosecutors stated that Steidl, an Italian citizen, was placed under judicial supervision, required to post a bail of €100,000, and prohibited from leaving the country. The 44-year-old faces charges including participation in drug trafficking, possession and distribution of child pornography, corruption of minors online, aggravated money laundering, and operating an online platform to enable illegal transactions by an organized group.

‘Den of predators’

Certain offenses can result in prison sentences of up to 10 years. The website’s closure came after multiple alerts from organizations about the threats associated with the site, which was referred to as a “den of predators.” It was registered in Guernsey, located in the Channel Islands. The online chat platform did not require users to register, allowing anonymity. Steidl had previously been interrogated in Bulgaria in June. Three of his relatives believed to have either contributed to the site’s management or benefited from the offenses, were questioned in France.According to a police source cited by AFP, two website moderators were apprehended in France at the end of July 2024.

“Over 23,000 incidents have been reported as having taken place through Coco,” stated Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau. Prosecutors revealed that over €5 million related to bank accounts in Hungary, Lithuania, Germany, and the Netherlands had been confiscated.

Fifty co-defendants — the individuals who acted upon Dominique Pelicot’s online invitation — were also found guilty and received various sentences ranging from three to fifteen years in the trial that concluded in December. The nature of the crimes alarmed both France and the global community, bringing renewed focus to male violence. The influence of the trial was heightened by Gisele Pelicot’s choice to lift her anonymity and pursue a public trial.