HOUSTON — A podcast is what unraveled the horrific allegations against a man accused of sexually abusing his adoptive teenage son, and since the allegation was made, more of the man's adoptive sons have come forward with the same claims.
“I just started freaking out, to be honest," said Twaiyah Paynes, the host of BlindSkinnedBeauty. "I was like, listen, I just want to help you.”
Paynes said a 17-year-old boy called in reporting that his father, Hayim Nissim Cohen, had been sexually assaulting him since he was 11 years old.
“What should be done to him? I’m asking more… should I… uh… basically… [inaudible]… I also am afraid of retaliation," the boy could be heard saying during the "What's your addiction?" episode.
The allegations didn't stop there. Cohen has nine adopted sons and the 17-year-old went on to say that he made his brothers perform sexual acts on each other.
The boy told listeners there had been eight Child Protective Services investigations but Cohen always threatened or bribed the victims so they wouldn’t tell the truth, according to court documents.
The teen said he had a burner phone so Cohen wouldn’t catch him making the call.
Paynes said she repeatedly told the boy she would help him and urged him to call police.
“I'm like, listen, I, we, I want to help you, you know, I want to help you," Paynes said. “You need to tell all of that because this is not right.”
Prosecutors obtained a warrant, thanks to the podcast, and the six youngest children were brought into CPS custody and were provided a safe space to detail their experiences.
“It was a huge relief," Payne said. "I was just in the house like, 'thank you, Jesus.' I was so excited. It was like that, to me, to be honest.”
While she's grateful help has arrived, she can't believe allegations go so far back.
“It really hurts to the core," she said.
Payne is now hoping to help the kids in any way she can.
“We got to make sure that they're, they're safe, we got to make sure they're taken care of.”
Cohen is due back in court Friday to face several new charges after more of his sons came forward.
In all, Cohen is facing 11 charges, including indecency with a child, continuous sexual abuse and super aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Child abuse resources & services
If you or someone you know is a victim of child abuse of any kind, there is help available. You can start by contacting one of these agencies or organizations.
- Children's Assessment Center 1-800-252-5400
- Childhelp 1-800-4-A-CHILD
- Houston Police Department Juvenile Division 713-731-5353
- Crime Stoppers of Houston 713-521-4600
You can also tell an adult you trust, such as a teacher, principal or school counselor.