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Adoptive father of 9 boys charged after son calls podcast alleging years of sex abuse

The teen said the abuse started two weeks after he was adopted at 11 years old
(Houston Police Department-ABC13).PNG
Posted at 4:20 AM, Feb 16, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-16 11:12:52-05

Editor's Note: This story contains graphic mentionings of SA involving minors, reader discretion is highly advised.

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An adoptive father of nine boys is now in custody after being accused of sexually assaulting at least one of his sons for years.

An arrest made after years of previous child sex allegations and investigations.

As first published by ABC13, Hayim Nissim Cohen, 38, was arrested Friday and charged with continuous sex abuse of a child and sexual assault of a child under 17 years old.

Officials said both charges were related from incidents involving the same son.

Documents state Cohen's 17-year-old son had called into a podcast and admitted to the abuse he and his brothers faced from their adoptive father.

The 17-year-old told the podcaster that he was "smart enough" to use a burner phone and Wi-Fi to communicate on her podcast, according to the documents.

The teen said he and his brothers were being sexually abused by their adoptive father and used the term "rape."

The teen said Child Protective Services (CPS) had conducted eight investigations into the family, but nothing ever came of it.

A CPS spokesperson later told ABC 13 that six of the boys have been removed from the home and are now in foster care.

Their ages are 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 and 19.

The spokesperson said that the current cases are confidential and the agency could release no further comments.

According to records, the teen told the podcaster that "every time that CPS is involved that (Cohen) bribes or scares him and his brother."

According to the teen, one of his brothers had successfully run away at one point to escape the abuse but was brought back by deputy constables.

The teen told the podcaster that the Children's Assessment Center had interviewed him and his siblings and that they had all spoken against their brother.

According to documents, the teen was hesitant to give out any identifying
information during the podcast and that he was waiting until he was 18 to finally come forward.

The teen said he feared that no one would believe him since he had previously told CPS that there was no abuse.

The teen said the abuse started two weeks after he was adopted at 11 years old.

It's still unclear who ultimately contacted CPS following the podcast confession, but investigators said they got involved in the following days.

The teen boy reportedly denied any abuse to the investigator when first expressed concerns.

However, the investigators noted, that when she played the podcast, he " "became visibly scared, shaking, and held his head down" and admitted to calling in to talk about the abuse.

The teen boy told investigators that he was "not brave enough to say anything," according to documents.

He also told investigators that his adoptive father told the brothers that it would be "one person's word against the rest of them."

The adoptive father was previously out of jail on bond for a 2019 case of indecency with a child.

The now 38-year-old is accused of having sexual contact with a male foreign exchange student from Spain who was living with him.

The student, who turns 20 next month, first reported him to the staff at Sharpstown High School in 2019.

He is now suing Cohen and the organization that placed him.

Documents into the case detail what the 17-year-old teen boy and his brothers were reportedly forced to do to their adoptive father and to each other.

The teen told investigators that "everything (Cohen) does is fake."

This includes Cohen reportedly only using his wheelchair "when people come over or when he is in public," according to the documents.

Cohen reportedly has been in the media in the past, touting his family's unique adoption situation, and had a blog dedicated to their lifestyle.

The 38-year-old's next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 23.

Bond has not officially been set in the current cases.