Michel Piron, 64, his wife Araceli, 60, and three men, presented as "actors" by a source close to the case, were placed in police custody on Tuesday as part of an investigation opened in July 2020 in Paris.
At the end of this police custody, they are presented to an examining magistrate within the framework of an open judicial investigation, in particular for aggravated pimping, trafficking in human beings in an organized gang, rape and complicity in rape, rape with torture and act of barbarism. , said the Paris prosecutor's office.
Tuesday, Nicolas Cellupica, the lawyer for the Arès group, chaired by Mr. Piron and owner of the pornographic site, had assured in a press release that the group + Jacquie and Michel + had "never produced or directed a film" and was not "as a distributor of films made by independent producers".
The prosecution had launched this investigation in July 2020, entrusted to the Paris judicial police, after a report sent by Dare feminism, the Effronté-es and the movement of the Nest.
These three associations relayed the testimonies of several actresses who claimed to have been forced into "sexual practices + out of the ordinary and painful +" when they were not consenting.
This report followed the broadcast in February by the Konbini site of a video entitled "the sordid backstage of amateur porn", in which two women testified to these practices.
In a book-investigation entitled "Judy, Lola, Sofia and me" (Ed. Goutte d'Or, 2018), journalist Robin d'Angelo recounted his infiltration into the amateur porn industry and denounced the recurring absence of consent and non-compliance with labor law.
The group, which announced a turnover of 15 million euros in 2016, according to the journalist, based its success on the purchase of amateur videos at low prices in France, before gradually professionalizing its production.
The company founded in 1999 now competes with Dorcel, one of the leaders in the porn industry.
© 2022 AFP