HOUSTON — A Houston man charged with sexually assaulting at least six of the nine boys he adopted went before a judge again Friday on eight new charges.
Hayim Cohen, 38, was wheeled into a courtroom where prosecutors said five more adopted sons, ages 8 to 16, have come forward to back claims made by their now 18-year-old brother.
After hearing from both sides, the judge denied bond for Cohen who now faces eleven charges total, including super aggravated sexual assault of a child and continuous sexual assault of a child.
Cohen was also charged with sexual indecency in 2019 after a foreign exchange student living with the family told his high school principal that Cohen sexually assaulted him. He was released on bond and the boys say the abuse continued until they were finally removed from the home earlier this month.
CPS had looked into allegations over the years, but the 18-year-old said Cohen would threaten or bribe his sons so they would lie to investigators.
"All of us knew there was something going on, but we weren't able to prove it," prosecutor Janna Oswald said Friday. "I think that is devastating, as a child abuse prosecutor, to know that during my time on the case, that some of this abuse has occurred. That is really hard for me when I deal with these cases all the time."
On Thursday, prosecutors also raised questions about Cohen's claims that he is terminally ill and in hospice care. They said the children have told them that Cohen is faking his illness and doesn't use a wheelchair or oxygen at home when other people aren't around.
"All of the children have indicated that, at this point that have been forensically interviewed," prosecutor Jenna Oswald said. "In addition, there is a video taken very recently which indicates conditions this defendant has conveyed in court are not accurate with his medical or physical condition."
Defense attorney Charles Johnson just got assigned to the case this week and said he is still going through all of the evidence gathered by prosecutors.
"There is, as you heard me say to Judge Lacayo, voluminous discovery and lots and lots and lots of it, and the state has been great about providing it," Johnson said. "We're going through it, and as we go through it, then we'll learn more about it. We have a strategy already, but as we go through it, it'll develop more."
'I just started freaking out'
A cry for help from the 18-year-old to a podcaster is what first brought the horrific allegations to light.
“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.”
The boy told podcast listeners that is father forced his sons to have sex with him and perform sexual acts on each other.
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.
“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.”
CPS launches investigation (WARNING: Disturbing details)
*All information below is from court documents.
A CPS investigator learned about the podcast, traced the IP address and contacted the 17-year-old, according to court records.
During an interview, the investigator played the podcast and said the boy was “visibly scared and shaking.” He confirmed he was the caller.
The teen then began describing what was going on behind closed doors. These are some of the allegations. The following is all from the charging document.
- He said the abuse by Cohen began three weeks after he was adopted in 2016.
- He said Cohen made the boys massage his feet before molesting them and forcing them to perform a sex act on him.
- When he turned 14, the teen said Cohen began raping him.
- He said Cohen forced him and his younger brothers, now 16 and 14, to perform oral sex on him and on each other while he watched. He said the 16-year-old ran away but deputy constables returned him to the house.
- He said two 10-year-old brothers said they’d been abused, too, but the teen said he hadn’t witnessed it. He said when Cohen called any of the boys to his room, they all knew what that meant.
- Cohen also verbally abused his sons, calling them “white trash” and “racist,” according to the teen.
- He said Cohen uses a wheelchair and oxygen tanks in public or when people come over, but not when he’s alone with his sons.
- The boy said Cohen warned him that if he told anyone it would be his word against Cohen and his siblings.
He told the investigator he was “not brave enough to say anything.”
The foreign exchange student
In 2019, Cohen was charged with indecency with a child after the foreign exchange student from Spain told his school principal that Cohen was abusing him.
The boy was 16 at the time.
He told police that Cohen would make him feel guilty if he did something wrong like leave his clothes on the floor or not clean up after himself. Cohen would say the boy’s behavior “made him sad” so the boy “needed to make him happy.”
The student said Cohen began fondling him in his bedroom after the other boys went to sleep. After several months of that, according to court documents, Cohen began forcing the victim to perform a sex act on him.
"The conduct is gut-wrenching. It is worse than what we even imagined," Sherry Scott, the victim's attorney, said. "There are so many feelings and emotions that it's hard."
“The student said he did it because he felt like if he did not, he would not get to finish the year and he would lose one year of school if sent back,” court documents said.
A judge released him on a $75,000 bond and Cohen returned home where the abuse started again, according to the 17-year-old. The 2019 case is still pending.
In 2021, the exchange student filed a lawsuit against Cohen and ERDT, the student exchange organization that placed him with the defendant.
CPS said all of the children have been removed from the home and are now in foster care.
Editor’s note: KHOU 11 profiled Cohen and his nine sons in 2019 before any of the allegations came to light. He had not been charged at that time.
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.