Who is Israel Vallarta and is he still in jail? Truth behind Netflix's Kidnapping Scandal

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Mexico of kidnapping charges that she denied, the story made headlines globally.Florence was subsequently sentenced to 60 years in prison and her story quickly became one of the most controversial criminal cases in Mexican history.Numerous irregularities and a bizarre staged police raid resulted in French authorities campaigning for her release, as Florence maintained her innocence.Now, the shocking case is at the centre of Netflix's latest true crime series, A Kidnapping Scandal: The Florence Cassez Affair, which examines the case that divided opinion across the world.In 2013 the Supreme Court ordered Florence's release from prison after ruling that her rights had been violated.But while the documentary focuses on Florence Cassez, the French national was arrested alongside her Mexican boyfriend Israel Vallarta, and his case is a controversial one too.Here's who Israel Vallarta is and where he is now.Israel Vallarta is a Mexican national accused by police of being the leader of a kidnapping ring called Los Zodiaco, which he denies.On December 8 2005, Israel was arrested by Mexican police alongside his French girlfriend Florence Cassez as they drove along a highway.The couple were detained by police, and nearly 24 hours after their initial arrest they were taken back to the ranch they lived in, where TV news and camera crews waited for them.Police forced the couple to participate in a shocking re-enactment of their arrest, which was broadcast on TV.

During the broadcast, the Mexican equivalent of the FBI could be seen rescuing three kidnapping victims from Vallarta's home.After the arrest, Vallarta confessed to being the ring leader of the kidnapping gang, but said that Cassez was not involved.However, Vallarta would.