France Prosecutes Founder Over Website Used by Pelicot

paris - French authorities are prosecuting the founder of a chat site used to commit crimes.

The authorities shut down the website Coco.fr last year. Founder Isaac Steidl is now suspected of crimes such as complicity in the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Prosecutors say more than 5 million euros have been seized.

The website was registered on the island of Guernsey. Users could chat anonymously without registering. Last year, multiple moderators of the site were also arrested, according to a source. Family members of Steidl have been questioned.

The site is linked to thousands of criminal acts, including those of Pelicot. He drugged his wife and allowed her to be abused by strangers. This went on for years.