HOUSTON — When Hayim Cohen, 38, was wheeled into a Houston courtroom back in February on sexual assault charges, three of his oldest adopted sons were there to support him.
Now, one of those sons is facing similar charges. Avshalom Cohen, 22, is charged with two counts of sexual assault involving a younger sibling.
According to court documents, Avshalom would bribe the boy for sex in exchange for energy drinks or a vape. He was 19 at the time and the alleged victim was 14.
The allegations came to light during the investigation of the boys' father who is charged with sexually assaulting six of the nine boys he adopted. During Hayim's hearing in February, Avshalom was one of three older sons there to support their father.
Earlier this month, Avshalom was arrested in Fort Bend County on a drug charge and a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon. He was also arrested on a human smuggling charge on April 29 near Eagle Pass. The Maverick County District Attorney's Office confirmed his arrest and said he bonded out a few days later.
Avshalom is expected to make a court appearance Thursday on the sexual assault charges.
The podcast: A cry for help
The investigation into Hayim began after his 17-year-old son called a podcast and told listeners he’d been sexually abused by his adopted father since he was 11. He said his adopted siblings had also been repeatedly sexually assaulted.
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.
Others on the podcast urged the teen to get help for himself and his brothers. He said he was waiting until he turned 18 to report Cohen to law enforcement.
During interviews, the five younger boys confirmed that they had also been abused.
At his hearing in February, prosecutors also raised questions about Cohen's claims that he is terminally ill and in hospice care. They said they have witnesses who said Cohen is faking his illness and video to prove it.
"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."
According to court documents, a son also told investigators that Cohen doesn't really need the wheelchair or oxygen. The teen said he only uses them when other people are around, but not when he's home with his sons.
"We are fortunate to have a system where he has an opportunity to be innocent until proven guilty, so we are going to do everything we can to show he did not do this," defense attorney Charles Johnson said.
Cohen is also being sued by a foreign exchange student from Spain who lived with the family while attending a local high school. He said Cohen repeatedly sexually abused him in 2019.
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.