Israeli to be extradited to US for sexual offenses, extortion
Man allegedly obtained pornographic images of teen girls and threatened to distribute them if victims did not give him private video sessions
An Israeli citizen was reportedly arrested Thursday ahead of his expected extradition to the US on a string of sexual offenses and extortion of young girls.
The unnamed man was arrested by Jerusalem police and an Interpol team with the authorization of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, the Ynet news site reported.
The man is accused of visiting video sites featuring girls aged 12-17 and recording them performing sex acts, between June 2010 and July 2011.
Afterward, he would allegedly find the girls on social media and threaten to make the images public if they did not perform private video sessions for him. During those sessions he forced them to strip and to perform sexual acts.
If girls refused to do as he said, he would carry out his threats and publish the images of them.
In October 2011, a 17-year-old girl filed a police complaint of extortion against the man.
The report did not say whether the man was in the US or in Israel when he allegedly perpetrated his crimes.
An official extradition request is to be filed Friday, along with a request that he be held in police custody until the end of the proceedings. He is reportedly to be charged with offenses of producing and distributing child pornography, coercion, soliciting a minor for sexual acts, and extortion.