Adoptive father of 9 charged after teen calls podcast alleging yearslong sex abuse
HOUSTON, Texas -- An adoptive father of nine boys is behind bars in Harris County, Texas, after being accused of sexually assaulting at least one of his sons for years, and it is not the first time he's faced child sex allegations.
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. Both charges stem from incidents involving the same son.
Charging documents state Cohen's 17-year-old son called into a podcast and admitted to the abuse he and his brothers faced at the hand of 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 with her, according to a charging document.
The teen said he and his brothers were being sexually abused by their adoptive father and used the term "rape."
He said Child Protective Services (CPS) had conducted eight investigations into the family, but nothing ever came of it.
A spokesperson with CPS told Eyewitness News that six of the boys have been removed from the home and are in foster care. Their ages are 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17. The spokesperson added that current cases are confidential, and the agency could not comment.
The teen told the podcaster, according to records, that "every time that CPS is involved that (Cohen) bribes or scares him and his brother."
According to the teen, one of his brothers ran away at one point to get away from the abuse but was brought back by deputy constables. The teen told the podcaster that the Children's Assessment Center interviewed him and his siblings, and they all spoke against their brother.
The teen was hesitant to give any identifying information during the podcast and was waiting until he was 18 years old to speak out, according to the charging document. He said he feared that no one would believe him since he had previously told CPS there was no abuse, despite the fact that it started two weeks after he was adopted at 11 years old.
It is unclear who contacted CPS following the podcast confession, but investigators got involved in the days following.
The teenage boy at first denied any abuse to the investigator when she expressed concerns. The investigator noted, when she played the podcast, he "became visibly scared, shaking, and held his head down" and admitted to calling in to vent.
He told the investigator he was "not brave enough to say anything," according to the charging document. He also said Cohen told the brothers that it would be "one person's word against the rest of them."
Cohen was out of jail on bond for a 2019 case of indecency with a child. He was accused of having sexual contact with a foreign exchange student from Spain who was living with him. That student, who turns 20 next month, made an outcry to the staff at Sharpstown High School in 2019. He is suing Cohen and the organization that placed him.
"There were so many red flags," Sherry Chandler, the attorney representing the exchange student, told our sister-staion ABC13. "We all suspected (Cohen) is a pedophile. You don't just start one day. We all suspected the other kids were getting abused."
Charging documents on the current cases go into detail about what the 17-year-old and his brothers were reportedly forced to do to their adoptive father and to each other.
The teen also told investigators that "everything (Cohen) does is fake."
"The (teen) stated that (Cohen) only uses his wheelchair when people come over or when he is in public," according to the charging document. "The (teen) stated that (Cohen) has six oxygen tanks and does not use them and that (Cohen) only coughs uncontrollably when he is in court."
Cohen has been in the media in the past, touting his family's unique situation, and has a blog dedicated to their lifestyle.
The 38-year-old's next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 23. Bond has not been set in the current cases.
WATCH: Man accused of raping adopted sons was visited by CPS 8 times: Records
