Seventeen people have been arrested in Turkey on allegations that they earned money through explicit online content and laundered the proceeds through property and financial investments, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The suspects were detained on February 13 in police raids across seven provinces led by cybercrime units under the coordination of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. After questioning and medical checks, they were referred to an İstanbul court, which ordered their arrest on Monday, according Anadolu.
Prosecutors allege that the suspects generated income via OnlyFans, the subscription-based content platform known for adult material, which has been blocked in Turkey since 2023.
They are accused of committing the offense of “obscenity” and of laundering the proceeds through various investment tools.
As part of the investigation two companies, 10 properties and 14 vehicles linked to the suspects have been seized. The total value of the confiscated assets was estimated at about 300 million Turkish lira ($6.9 million), including real estate and capital market holdings.
According to prosecutors the suspects used public social media accounts to attract followers before directing them to paid platforms, including OnlyFans and private channels on the Telegram messaging app.
They allege that the income was invested in assets such as real estate, vehicles, bitcoin, gold and banking products in an effort to disguise its origin.
OnlyFans was blocked in Turkey in June 2023 under a court order citing content deemed contrary to public morality and family values. Access bans in Turkey are typically implemented by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), the country’s telecoms regulator.
Turkey has in recent years tightened oversight of online platforms, with prosecutors frequently pursuing cases involving content deemed obscene or in violation of broadly defined public morality standards.