Isaac Steidl, Founder of Coco, Charged with 8 Offenses Linked to 23,000 Criminal Cases Including Mazan Rape

Jan 9, 2025, 11:04 AM

Isaac Steidl, the founder and manager of the controversial dating site Coco, has been charged with eight offenses following a two-day detention. The charges include illicit administration of an online platform, complicity in drug trafficking, complicity in possession and distribution of child pornography, complicity in corruption of minors, aggravated pimping, criminal association, and aggravated money laundering. The site, which was shut down by French authorities in June 2024, was implicated in over 23,000 criminal cases, including sexual assaults, homophobic attacks, and the high-profile Mazan rape case, where Dominique Pelicot used the platform to recruit men to rape his sedated wife, Gisèle Pelicot. Steidl, who has renounced his French citizenship and is now an Italian national, was placed under judicial supervision with a ban on leaving France and a requirement to pay a €100,000 bail. He contests the accusations and plans to demonstrate his innocence through the judicial process.