Founder of adult website linked to mass rape trial in France faces charges

France on Thursday charged the founder of an adult website used to commit sexual offences, including by a French man who recruited dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife, prosecutors said.

Isaac Steidl, the founder and manager of the Coco.fr website, was charged with offences including administering an online platform to facilitate an illegal transaction by an organized gang, after his detention on Tuesday.

French authorities shut down the anonymous platform in June 2024.