Turkey Arrests 16 in Investigation Linked to OnlyFans and Money Laundering

Investigation into Money Laundering

ANKARA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Turkey detained 16 people and seized assets worth about 300 million lira ($6.9 million) on Friday in an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to content shared on the OnlyFans platform, prosecutors said.

Details of the Arrests

The probe, led by a department investigating terrorism financing and money laundering crimes, targeted 25 suspects and two companies in operations across eight provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya, the Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office said.

Assets and Financial Transactions

Prosecutors said suspects generated income by sharing explicit content on social media and directing users to paid platforms, including OnlyFans and private messaging channels such as Telegram.

Legal Context and Platform Restrictions

OnlyFans has been blocked in Turkey since June 7, 2023, by a ruling of an Istanbul court on the grounds that it hosted content deemed contrary to public morality and family values.

Despite the ban, suspects were found to have accessed the platform via virtual private networks (VPNs), prosecutors said.

According to the statement, the suspects laundered proceeds through the purchase of assets, as well as investments in bitcoin and gold. 

Authorities identified 10 properties, 14 vehicles and two companies linked to the suspects. The total value of the assets was estimated at around 300 million lira.

The prosecutor's office said the investigation was ongoing.

(Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Daren Butler and Saad Sayeed)