Ashdod man ‘lured girls with fake modeling agency’

29-year-old man charged with luring underage girls into sexual acts, including one count of rape.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Rape thinkstock 370 (photo credit: thinkstock )
Rape thinkstock 370
(photo credit: thinkstock )
Police on Tuesday charged a 29-year-old man from Ashdod with creating a fake modeling agency and luring underage girls into sexual acts.
The charges include one count of rape.
According to the indictment submitted to the Beesheba District Court, the suspect allegedly carried out indecent acts, extortion, threats, computer crimes and fraud.
The investigation began last month when two girls from the South came forward telling police they had received a call from an individual presenting himself as a modeling agent. The caller promised them a glittering career in the modeling and acting worlds, police said.
After the calls, communication continued online, as the “agent” urged the girls to take naked photographs of themselves and send him the images.
“The girls became suspicious and alerted the parents.
When the ‘agent’ found out a police complaint was in the works, he threatened to distribute their photographs on the Internet,” police said.
The threats did not deter the girls from filing police complaints, prompting the southern district to form a team of detectives, who said they traced the communication to a resident of Ashdod.
On July 18, police raided the man’s home, arresting him and seizing computers.
Police used the material to locate other girls and women he allegedly targeted.
One alleged victim later told police the suspect raped her.