Isaac Steidl, creator of the notorious coco.fr website, has been indicted on multiple charges related to facilitating sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and more. The site had become infamous after revelations concerning its involvement in numerous sexual crimes, including a highly publicized rape trial.**
Founder of Infamous Website Indicted in Connection with Sexual Abuse Case**
Founder of Infamous Website Indicted in Connection with Sexual Abuse Case**
Isaac Steidl faces serious charges in France after his site was linked to thousands of sexual abuse cases, including the Pelicot rape trial that shook the nation.**
The founder of the controversial website, coco.fr, has been indicted in France amid a sexual abuse scandal that has alarmed the nation. Isaac Steidl, 44, is facing a host of charges linked to the site, which was shut down last June following an investigation that exposed it as a platform for extensive sexual exploitation.
If convicted, Steidl could spend up to a decade in prison and face fines exceeding 7.5 million euros. After being released on bail, he is now under judicial supervision—prohibited from leaving France and required to pay a bail of 100,000 euros.
Coco.fr was thrust into the public eye during the trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men, who were convicted for sexually assaulting Pelicot's ex-wife, Gisèle, while she was drugged. Evidence presented in court revealed that the site provided a low-cost subscription for access to chat rooms where predators could connect with each other and with Pelicot, facilitating the heinous acts.
Steidl has been slapped with charges that include enabling illicit trafficking as part of an organized crime ring, as well as complicity in drug-related offenses and illegal possession and distribution of child pornography. His lawyer, Julien Zanatta, insists that Steidl denies all accusations against him and pledges to prove his innocence.
According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the site is implicated in over 23,000 criminal cases from 2021 to 2024 involving 480 alleged victims. These cases revealed a spectrum of crimes, from sexual abuse and trafficking to more severe charges, leading authorities to shut down the platform after an 18-month European investigation.
Law enforcement had frozen bank accounts in multiple countries and seized substantial funds as part of the crackdown. Investigative efforts even included searching Steidl's residence in Bulgaria, at the request of French authorities. Notably, Steidl voluntarily renounced his French citizenship in April 2023, prior to the investigations escalating.
