Israeli Reservist Sentenced to 17 Years for Coercing Fathers to Abuse Their Children

The Central District Court in Lod sentenced 22-year-old Ori Alfi from Nes Ziona to 17 years in prison, along with a suspended sentence and 200,000 shekels in compensation, for a series of severe sexual offenses committed online. Alfi was convicted of inciting and instructing fathers to sexually abuse their young children, including infants, and of extortion through threats. The sentence is notably harsh given the crimes were committed via the internet.

According to the amended indictment filed by cyber prosecutors Elad Dayan and Roy Gol, over about a year Alfi used various social media platforms such as Telegram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram to contact around 25 men, mostly fathers, through fake female identities. He manipulated these men into performing and recording sexual acts on their minor children, often toddlers, in exchange for video chats or meetings with the supposed woman.

In one case, Alfi impersonated a woman and persuaded a father of a one-and-a-half-year-old baby to enter the child's room and commit indecent acts while the child was asleep, promising nude photos of the woman. In another, he convinced a father to sexually abuse his two young sons, aged 4 and 8, and document the acts. Alfi also coerced minors to perform sexual acts on themselves and send him recordings. Authorities found over 150 files containing pedophilic material on his devices.

The court emphasized that although the fathers physically committed the abuse and some faced prosecution, Alfi was the mastermind who orchestrated, incited, and directed the crimes. He also threatened some fathers with releasing videos to force continued abuse. His actions led to rape and indecent acts against infants and minors within his own family circle.

This case highlights the use of technology to facilitate and escalate child sexual abuse, with the court imposing a stringent sentence to reflect the gravity of Alfi's offenses.