The rabbi accused of raping his adoptive sons was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of assaulting another boy, but was released on bail and allowed to return home where “the abuse continued” for four years until his arrest month.
Hayim Nissim Cohen is now in custody on suspicion of raping at least six of his nine adoptive sons. The obese 38-year-old is also accused of faking his Jewish heritage and chronic illness.
Cohen was taken into custody after one of his adoptive sons, 18, called a podcast begging for help. Since then, two other boys have told police that he abused them.
Six of his minor children have since been placed in foster care. They are nine, 10, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
It’s not the first time he’s been arrested for assaulting a child; in 2019, a Spanish exchange student living in his house told police that he had also assaulted him.
He was charged with sexual indecency but bailed and was allowed to go home to the nine boys who now say he abused them.
Cohen, 38, is now incarcerated. He has yet to formally respond to the allegations
Cohen with eight of his nine sons. He is accused of sexually assaulting at least eight of them
Court records obtained by DailyMail.com describe what the Spanish exchange student told police about Cohen in 2019
Court records obtained by DailyMail.com detail what the boy told police.
“If you’re in trouble, [Cohen] would tell [boy] that he should make him happy. He touched Cohen’s chest and abdominal area and found himself getting excited as he made noises.
‘He explained that [Cohen] wanted him to get an erection, but he didn’t want to get aroused. He would ask him for a hug so he could put his hands on him.
He stated it happened in Cohen’s bedroom and they were both in bed. He said he would touch it and ask him if he liked it.
Harris County District Attorney’s Office prosecutor Jana Oswald admitted last week after his arrest on the new charges: “We all knew something was up, but we couldn’t prove it”
‘[Cohen] took his hand and put it on his penis. He explained that he started masturbating the defendant while everyone else was sleeping,” reads an April 2019 indictment.
Cohen was arrested and charged, but was released and allowed to return home on bail, where he allegedly continued to abuse his sons.
Prosecutor Jana Oswald of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office admitted last week after his arrest on the new charges, “We all knew something was going on, but we couldn’t prove it.”
When asked why he was being released, a spokesman for the OM told DailyMail.com: “There is generally a fairly high bar for a defendant to be held without bail, which is a constitutionally protected right in most cases .
“Prosecutors may make recommendations regarding bail, judges make them.”
Child Protective Services declined to provide details about the number of times it had been called to Cohen’s home, citing ongoing police investigations.
It is unclear why the children were not removed from Cohen’s care after the incident was first reported in 2019.
CPS in Texas also investigated him, but the boys say they were instructed by Cohen to lie. Cohen turned family life into a money-making social media phenomenon.
‘Rabbi’ Hayim Nissm Cohen, 38, is accused of sexually abusing six of his nine adopted sons. He was in jail for a 2019 charge involving another boy when he was arrested last month
The boys also told police that he is feigning an illness that he claims requires a wheelchair and an oxygen tank
The family home in Houston, Texas. It is unclear why Cohen was allowed to return home in 2019
He set up a Cash App account where strangers could donate to their families, and also promoted Amazon wish lists.
In disturbing videos, he said he was misjudged and discriminated against by strangers.
“Not a week goes by that our family isn’t discriminated against in some way. So many have a contempt or simply a misunderstanding of the beliefs of others.
“We must not forget how important it is to have empathy for all of humanity, regardless of (sic) beliefs.
“I wish you peace and blessings,” he said.
It remains unclear how he was able to adopt the children.
The case unraveled on January 30, when one of the children called the Blind Skinned Beauty to report abuse.
The podcaster called the police, who in turn contacted CPS, and the boy was located.
The 18-year-old told police the abuse began three weeks after Cohen adopted him in 2016.
It started with Cohen forcing the kids to massage his feet, he said, then he claimed they were forced to have sex with him and each other.
He told police that he had been raped for the first time at the age of 14.
The children also claimed that he is feigning an illness that requires an oxygen tank and a wheelchair.
In court, prosecutors said there was evidence to prove it.
Cohen also allegedly made up his Jewish heritage, claiming to have been raised as a Hasidic Jew in New York, while records show he was born in Odessa, Texas.
According to court records, he routinely used “various names.”