Houston Man Who Posed as Rabbi Sentenced to 40 Years for Abusing Adopted Sons

A Texas man who posed as a rabbi and hospice patient has received a 40-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the sexual abuse of his adopted sons.

Houston, TX — A man who portrayed himself as a rabbi and hospice patient to gain public sympathy while amassing a large online following has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after admitting to the continuous sexual abuse of his adopted sons.

Hayim Cohen, 40, appeared in a Houston courtroom on Monday to be sentenced after pleading guilty to four counts of continuous sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child.

Once praised on YouTube and TikTok for his seemingly compassionate care of adopted children, Cohen now faces life behind bars for crimes that prosecutors say spanned years.

“You realize you are never going to get out of prison; you’re going to die in prison?” Judge Danilo Lacayo asked Cohen during sentencing.

Cohen continued to feign illness throughout the hearing, refusing to respond when asked his age. “You ran an interesting con, sir,” the judge added. “You violated all these boys, and you’re here today facing justice.”

The case against Cohen unraveled when one of his victims courageously called into a podcast, using a burner phone to detail the abuse he and his brothers endured. The podcast host contacted authorities, triggering an investigation by Houston police.

Detectives discovered that Cohen had adopted nine boys and allegedly abused six of them. When they arrived at his home in February 2023, they were met by a hospice nurse claiming to care for Cohen, who had convinced many he was terminally ill.

However, two separate hospital evaluations found no medical issues with Cohen. Despite this, he continued to maintain his sickly façade throughout court appearances, often showing up in a wheelchair, wearing a catheter, and looking frail. Prosecutors maintain these displays were deliberately staged.

Rather than face trial, Cohen’s guilty plea spared his victims from having to recount the abuse in open court — a decision that brought some comfort.

“It feels like justice has been done for the seven boys,” said Assistant District Attorney Jana Oswald. “They don’t have to get up and testify and recount everything that they’ve experienced by him. That’s a relief for myself and them.”

Two of the survivors have also filed a civil lawsuit against Texas Child Protective Services and other state agencies, claiming they failed to vet Cohen before allowing him to adopt.

The suit outlines how Cohen — a single man with no employment, falsely claiming to be a rabbi — was permitted to adopt not one but nine children without proper oversight or follow-up.

“I think that the whole system of adoption and foster care in Texas is just awful,” said attorney Sheryl Chandler, who represents one of the victims. “Cohen should never have been able to adopt one child, let alone nine.”

The case has intensified public scrutiny over Texas' foster care and adoption system, which has faced criticism for years over failures to protect vulnerable children.

While Cohen begins his decades-long sentence, advocates for child safety are pushing for systemic reform to ensure this level of neglect and abuse is never repeated.

If you or someone you know suspects child abuse or exploitation, contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or your local authorities.