A 20-year-old Israeli was indicted on Sunday for the non-consensual distribution of over 170 nude photos of women and girls on messaging apps Telegram and Discord, as well as selling access to this content.
An indictment was filed against Hadera resident Alon Gavrielov to the Haifa Magistrate’s Court by the cyber department in the State Attorney's Office. He is charged with sexual harassment, invasion of privacy, extortion, possession of obscene material of minors and possession and management of a prohibited database.
According to the indictment, he established and managed a number of groups in Telegram dedicated to the distribution of photos and videos of a sexual nature.
Gavrielov, who is an IDF soldier serving in the Kfir Brigade, was also charged with possessing over 5,400 photos and 192 videos of child pornography on his phone, as well as managing and maintaining databases with the personal details of about a million different Israeli citizens on his computer without their consent.
He is also being charged with extortion, with the indictment detailing how he tried to blackmail one of his victims into filming themselves in a video with sexual content.
His victims have reported having suffered significantly due to Gavrielov's actions, with many having difficulty finding employment due to the distribution of these photos and videos. Many have suffered severe mental health issues and have started taking medication.
The State Attorney's Office requested that Gavrielov be put under house arrest until the end of legal proceedings, and that he be denied access to the Internet and use of a smartphone.
This case joins several other indictments over the past year enforcing the law banning the distribution of sexual photos and videos without consent.