Adoptive father of 9 children accused of sexually abusing son sued by another alleged victim

A foreign exchange student who stayed at the family’s home said Chaim Cohen raped him in 2019. Cohen was charged with indecent behavior with a child and sued.

HOUSTON. A Houston man accused of sexually abusing nine of his adopted sons is also being sued by an international exchange student who lived with the family.

Chaim Nissim Cohen, 38, was charged with persistent child sexual abuse and two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 17. According to court documents, he is also accused of repeated rape and sexual abuse of other adopted sons.

A foreign exchange student from Spain said Cohen also abused him in 2019.

“He was so excited and then it turned into a nightmare,” lawyer Sherry Chandler said. “Self-care began in the fall semester with inappropriate behavior and escalated into sexual abuse in the spring.”

The student told his principal about what had happened and was removed from the house.

Cohen was charged with indecent behavior with a child, but was released on $75,000 bail.

Later, an international exchange student sued Cohen and the company that housed him in the Houston home.

Allegations in Cohen’s lawsuit

Chandler said there were several red flags when Cohen applied for the Educational Resources Development Foundation’s Foreign Exchange Program, or ERDT.

She said they were unable to properly verify his background.

“How can you check a background and not even confirm that the person is who they say they are?” Chandler asked.

Cohen claimed he was the foundation’s rabbi, but Chandler said that was a lie and that he didn’t have a job.

She also said that Cohen is not his real name, and he changed it at least twice and used other aliases.

According to the lawsuit, Cohen falsified his background check and gave his children’s names as references with his own phone number.

“If they contacted these people, those phone numbers were registered to Cohen,” Chandler said.

We contacted lawyers representing EDRT, who denied the allegations.

“ERDT considers the safety of our students to be its top priority. While we cannot speak of unfinished business, we can say that we are deeply saddened when anyone is the victim of sexual assault or violence,” the company said in a statement.

Foreign exchange agencies must follow State Department rules and guidelines, but Chandler said there is little to no oversight. As long as this does not change, such cases will continue, she said.

Cohen claims he is dying and is in hospice, but Chandler believes he is simply trying to delay criminal and civil cases.

Podcast: Cry for Help

Cohen’s most recent investigation came after his 17-year-old son called a podcast and told listeners that he had been sexually abused by his adoptive father since he was 11. He said that his adoptive siblings had also been sexually abused on numerous occasions.

The boy told listeners that Child Protective Services conducted eight investigations, but Cohen always threatened or bribed the victims not to tell the truth, according to court documents.

The teenager said he had a backup phone so Cohen wouldn’t catch him calling.

Other members of the podcast urged the teenager to help himself and his brothers. He said he waited until he was 18 to report Cohen to law enforcement.

CPS Launches Investigation (WARNING: Disturbing Details)

*All information below is taken from court documents.

According to court records, a CPS investigator found out about the podcast, tracked down the IP address, and contacted the 17-year-old.

During the interview, the investigator turned on the podcast and said that the boy was “visibly frightened and trembling”. He confirmed that he called.

The teenager then began to describe what goes on behind closed doors. These are some of the accusations. Further, everything from the charging document.

  • He said Cohen’s abuse began three weeks after his 2016 adoption.
  • He said that Cohen had the boys massage his legs before molesting them and forcing them to have sexual intercourse with him.
  • When he turned 14, the teenager said that Cohen began to rape him.
  • He said that Cohen forced him and his younger brothers, now 16 and 14, to perform oral sex on him and each other while he watched. He said the 16-year-old ran away but was brought back to the house by police deputies.
  • He said that two 10-year-old brothers said they had also been abused, but the teen said he had not witnessed it. He said that when Cohen called one of the boys to his room, they all knew what it meant.
  • Cohen also verbally abused his sons, calling them “white trash” and “racist”, according to the teen.
  • He said that Cohen uses a wheelchair and oxygen tanks in public places or when people come, but not when he is alone with his sons.
  • The boy said that Cohen had warned him that if he told anyone, it would be his word against Cohen and his siblings.

He told the investigator that he was “not brave enough to say anything.”

Even after Cohen was indicted in the 2019 case, nine sons stayed at home with him.

Now they were taken away and placed in a foster family.

Editor’s note: KHOU 11 compiled a profile of Cohen and his nine sons in 2019 before any of the allegations were known. He was not charged at the time.

Anaeli Ruiz on social networks: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Child Abuse Resources and Services

If you or someone you know has been the victim of child abuse of any kind, we can help you. You can start by contacting one of these agencies or organizations.

  • Children’s Assessment Center 1-800-252-5400
  • Help for children 1-800-4-A-CHILD
  • Juvenile Division of the Houston Police Department 713-731-5353
  • Outlaws of Houston 713-521-4600

You can also tell an adult you trust, such as a teacher, principal, or school counselor, about this.

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button