Israeli Sports Coach Suspected of Molesting Dozens of Underage Girls Online

Beno Reinhorn, a youth sports coach suspected of molesting dozens of underage girls online, is seen at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on August 20, 2018. (Flash90)

Police announced on Sunday that they had concluded a wide-ranging investigation into a man suspected of molesting dozens of underage girls, paving the way for an indictment this week.

Beno Reinhorn, 35, a father of two from Herzliya, is suspected of molesting underage girls via the internet by persuading them to send him indecent photographs of themselves, including some that allegedly involved acts considered rape.

Reinhorn, a youth handball coach, was arrested last month. He is suspected of contacting at least 140 girls for sexual purposes over a period of several years.

He was set to be come before a judge for a remand hearing on Sunday, during which the state prosecution will make a statement declaring its intention to indict him. Such statements enable authorities to hold a suspect in custody for up to five days after an investigation has been concluded and before they are formally charged.

The months-long investigation included cooperation with police authorities abroad, police said in a statement.

Some 170 female victims were contacted by investigators, the statement said, most of them minors.

Investigators earlier said they believe Reinhorn would monitor the profiles of celebrities, photographers, producers and other figures in the fashion world who were active with children, Hebrew media reported.

He would then open fake profiles on social media purporting to be an agent of the models or producers and make contact with girls via social media and the WhatsApp messaging app.

After establishing a connection with his victims while “blatantly exploiting their innocence and their desire to model and become famous,” he would persuade them to send him “content of a sexual nature to the point of carrying out acts of sodomy and rape,” according to police.

Reinhorn would also contact girls from abroad, investigators said.

Under Israeli law, persuading a minor to carry out a sex act via the internet can be considered rape or molestation even if there was no physical encounter.

Police have called the case “one of the most serious and severe incidents of pedophilia, both in terms of the severity of the offenses and the scope of the activities” that they have encountered in web-related crimes.

Reinhorn has not been cooperating with the investigation.