IDF officer who secretly filmed female soldiers nude convicted of dozens of sex crimes

Lt. Col. Dan Sharoni found guilty by military court of using hidden cameras to film subordinate soldiers and some civilians over the course of eight years

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Dan Sharoni, an IDF officer accused of sexual offenses, arrives for a hearing at a military court in Beit Lid, July 24, 2022. (Flash90)
Dan Sharoni, an IDF officer accused of sexual offenses, arrives for a hearing at a military court in Beit Lid, July 24, 2022. (Flash90)

A former senior Israel Defense Forces officer accused of filming his female subordinates while nude without their knowledge was convicted on Wednesday by a military court of dozens of counts of sex offenses and invasion of privacy.

Lt. Col. Dan Sharoni was arrested in 2021 for his actions, which included collecting sexual images of soldiers and some civilians over the course of at least eight years. He was dismissed from duty that year.

A military court convicted Sharoni of 67 offenses in total: 23 counts of indecency, 39 counts of privacy violation, three counts of illegally hacking a computer, one count of attempted indecency — for a case in which he installed a hidden camera in someone’s room but ultimately only photographed them fully clothed — and one count of conduct unbecoming a soldier.

The IDF said the court “fully accepted the testimonies of the victims of the crime, and rejected the defendant’s version that he acted out of a non-sexual motive.”

According to an indictment in December 2021, Sharoni used numerous hidden cameras, including some placed inside phone chargers, to film soldiers under his command, often installing them in their barracks and showers. He was also accused of taking soldiers’ phones for seemingly innocuous reasons and looking through them to see if they had nude or intimate photos on them and then copying any of those to his own device.

The indictment listed 49 victims, both female and male, though there may have been others. The majority were soldiers, though he also installed the devices in homes, including his own, and thus also filmed civilians. In addition, he was accused of entering some of his victims’ rooms while they slept and masturbating while filming them.

According to the charge sheet, Sharoni committed his crimes from 2013 to 2021, while serving in three different units in the military. In many of the cases, the victims were soldiers and officers with whom Sharoni had close, friendly relationships.

Amid the trial in 2022, a plea deal was signed with Sharoni. This was later nixed following opposition from many of the victims.

The plea deal would have seen Sharoni confess to the charges and be sentenced to several years in prison, demoted to the rank of private, and be required to pay compensation to the 49 victims totaling NIS 250,000 ($72,000).

However, the deal would have potentially seen him benefit from a significant military pension despite being too young. Military pensions are generous, and as they are awarded from age 46, they give officers the ability to launch lucrative second careers on top of their large pension packages.

No immediate date was set for Sharoni’s sentencing trial. Until then, the IDF said Sharoni was due to undergo a sexual risk assessment.

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