Israel arrests owner of Premier League soccer club, suspected of sex offenses and cryptocurrency fraud – Israel News – Haaretz.com

Israel arrested the owner of a Premier League soccer club on Thursday on suspicions of cryptocurrency fraud involving hundreds of millions of shekels and sex offenses, police said on Thursday morning.

Seven other suspects were also arrested, most of them past or present club partners or employees. They are suspected of theft, money laundering, and other crimes. 

Each is suspected of pocketing tens of millions of shekels and conspiring to mislead potential investors on a number of projects involving cryptocurrency.

The suspects knew these projects would never actually materialize, according to a police official. Investigators from the national fraud unit raided the soccer club’s offices on Thursday morning. Among the possibilities being investigated is that the illicitly obtained funds were used by the club.

Other suspicions arose during the undercover investigation, which lasted for a number of months, concerning the main suspect’s involvement in alleged sex offenses. 

“As far as we know, there is no connection between the supposed suspicions and the club’s activity,” the soccer club said of the arrests. “We will fully cooperate with any investigative body and will show any document that is required with total transparency. The club’s activity is continuing as usual, and later in the day there will be regular training for all teams in the club.”

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