Grindr scam: NIS 200,000 robbed from drugged men

The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday sentenced Shaker Abu Allah and Avitar Ben Avi to prison terms of nine and four and a half years respectively for drugging and robbing men they had arranged to meet on the gay dating "Grindr", as well as paying financial compensation of up to NIS 130,000 to their victims.

They were convicted of arranging sexual meetings with dozens of men on the dating app "Grindr", the victims lost consciousness after being drugged and were then robbed of money and property.

In total, Abu Allah and Ben Avi robbed NIS190,000 from their 23 victims.

Abu Allah and Ben Avi were convicted of arranging sexual encounters with 23 men on the dating app and robbing them of property, credit cards and cash.

As part of their confession obtained in a plea deal, the two convicts said that after their victims lost consciousness from drug consumption, the two stole their phones, credit cards and cash. In some cases, Abu Allah and Ben Avi broke into their victims' vehicles in order to steal the property.

Over 100,000 shekels in compensation

The court sentenced Abu Allah to nine years in prison, 14 months of probation and NIS 100,000 in compensation to the complainants. Ben Avi was sentenced to 52 months of actual imprisonment, 14 months of probation and NIS 30,000 compensation to the complainants.

Lawyers Meredith Shivan Perkel and Ruth Berkley Dahl, who handled the case on behalf of the attorney's office, said after receiving the verdict: "This is a precedent-setting case in which the defendants were given lengthy prison sentences, after having executed a meticulous criminal plan. The defendants acted methodically and calmly, while in some cases They even held more than one meeting a day, in which they drugged and robbed a complainant."