The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a police operation against some 25 suspects and several companies accused of disseminating paid sexual content on OnlyFans and Telegram, which is banned in Turkey, and laundering the money obtained from these activities. As a result, assets worth approximately 300 million Turkish Liras were seized from the suspects and the companies involved.
The investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office found that sexually explicit content was being disseminated and that obscene images and videos were being shared for a fee on OnlyFans, a platform banned in Turkey, as well as on other social networks promoting access to this paid-for service in exchange for sexual images.
OnlyFans has been blocked in Turkey since 7 June 2023 by court order on the grounds that it hosted content incompatible with public morals and the family structure of Turkish society. However, prosecutors’ investigations have revealed that access to the platform was still via virtual private networks (VPNs), and that the suspects posted sexual content on publicly accessible profiles on other social networks to encourage access to the platform.
They laundered the gains from sexual content with asset investments
According to the investigation, the suspects offered private content for a fee in order to increase interaction with the images and videos posted. They also indicated that this material could be accessed both through OnlyFans and through private channels on Telegram, as reported by the Turkish daily Hürriyet, which indicated that as part of the operation, arrest warrants were issued for the following persons:
- Merve Taşkın (abroad)
- Ceyda Ersoy (arrested)
- Ebru Arman (arrested)
- Meltem Bakır
- Gizem Avcı
- Yağmur Şimşek
- Öznur Güven
- Cansu Bade Taş
- Kübra Yurdakul
- Arzu Yılmaz
- Ceyda Ersoy (arrested)
- Derin Gür
- Dilber Doğan
- Eda Alboya (arrested)
- Eme Nur Süder
- Kadriye Değirmenci
- Lina Su Özgen
- Yaprak Meriç Yücel
- Nisanur Kavak
- Tuğçe Cansu Parlak
- Tülin Arıkoğlu
- Zeynep Alkan (abroad)
- Gizem Bağdaçiçek
- Burçin Erol (abroad)
- Serpil Cansız (abroad)
- Azranur Ay Vandan
The prosecutor’s investigation also concluded that the gains from the dissemination of obscene material were invested in movable and immovable property, bitcoin, gold or term deposits in banks. The total value of the seized assets – including 2 companies, 10 real estate and 14 vehicles, as well as the capitalisation of the companies – amounts to around 300 million Turkish Liras (5.8 million euros).
Following these findings, a simultaneous operation was launched in 8 provinces and districts, including Istanbul, Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Edremit, Gölcük (Kocaeli) and Samsun, which resulted in the seizure of the assets of the suspects who were part of this money laundering scheme obtained through Onlyfans. The arrested persons had previously been also arrested in the framework of a drugs and prostitution investigation targeting prominent celebrities in Turkey.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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