Senior police officials said on Monday that it is not possible at this stage to substantiate suspicions of indecent sexual acts by Israeli soccer club owner Moshe Hogeg, as the women who accused him of sexual assault did not want to cooperate with investigators.
New details on Monday revealed in the police investigation of Hogeg, the owner of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club, show that Hogeg used social media to solicit at least a dozen foreign young women in financial distress for prostitution.
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Hogeg, who was arrested last month on suspicion of fraud and multiple sexual offenses, is expected to be released from detention on Tuesday after being detained for 28 days. His lawyers reported that his release comes after “fully cooperating and providing his version of events as part of the investigation.”
Israel Police, however, stressed that the release does not indicate that Hogeg is innocent amidst claims that the case has reached a dead end. Although dozens of women have been involved in the charges against him, only 12 have stepped forward to testify.
Nevertheless, the police said that the probe is progressing and that he is suspected of committing sexual crimes, as well as a major cryptocurrency scam.
The police said that Hogeg also violated the privacy of the women by filming them having sex with him and circulating the footage.
In at least one case, Hogeg used women to recruit other young women based on their age and appearance, a crime that the police consider to be “solicitation for prostitution.”
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At this stage, the police believe there has not been any evidence that other businessmen were complicit in Hogeg’s activities.
“The financial case is progressing and suspicions are growing for crimes such as theft, fraud and swindling investors, along with tax violations in the range of millions. But the case is complex and complicated in an area that has never been investigated — the field of cryptocurrency — so it takes time,” a police source added.
In addition, police said that the investigation is taking place in four countries, and that while officials are cooperating, the scope of the investigation will also prolong it.
Hogeg’s lawyers pointed to the gulf between the serious allegations at the outset of the investigation and the evidence presented thus far: “The facts become clearer day by day. We are convinced that at the end of the investigation…it will become clear that there was nothing criminal about Mr. Hogeg’s actions,” they said.
