TikTok Star 'Rabbi' Who Adopted Nine Boys As A Single Dad Is Charged With Raping Son

Orthodox rabbi Rabbi Hayim Nissim Cohen, 38, from Texas, US, was arrested in February after his son phoned into a podcast to reveal a number of his brothers had been allegedly abused

A rabbi who gained popularity on TikTok and had adopted nine sons is facing charges of child sex abuse. Hayim Nissim Cohen, 38, from Texas, was taken into custody in February after one of his 17-year-old sons called into a podcast to disclose that several of his brothers had been victims of sexual abuse.

According to the son, Cohen had allegedly bribed or intimidated his brothers every time the police visited their home, which reportedly happened at least eight times. 

The son also claimed that Cohen had threatened to kill them if they ever exposed the abuse. As a result, six of the children, aged between eight and 18, have been removed from Cohen's custody and placed under the care of children's services. 

It should be noted that the three older adopted boys are not included among these children.

Janna Oswald, a prosecutor from the Harris County District Attorney's Office, characterized the reported abuse as follows: "In this household of boys, there was extensive neglect and abuse, with the victims allegedly being groomed for exploitation."

"They were threatened. They were in fear of their safety, and he utilised a grooming of the community.

"His grooming was not just of a child, but also the people around the children in the most offensive way."

ABC News has reported that five additional sons of Cohen have come forward since the initial allegations were made public by the 17-year-old. According to the teenager, the abuse began when he was 11 years old.

Furthermore, the children have accused their father of forcing them to engage in sexual acts with him and with each other. In court documents, one of the sons claimed that Cohen's use of a wheelchair is a pretense and that he is actually capable of walking.

His charge document states: "The (teen) stated that (Cohen) only uses his wheelchair when people come over or when he is in public.

"The (teen) stated that (Cohen) has six oxygen tanks and does not use them and that (Cohen) only coughs uncontrollably when he is in court."

The allegations against Cohen stand in stark contrast to the image he portrayed on social media, where he presented himself as a father raising nine adopted sons.

Cohen had a significant social media presence, including a TikTok account with more than 200,000 followers, as well as profiles on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. On his website, he purported to showcase his religious way of life in order to encourage single men to consider adopting children.

Prosecutor Janna Oswald said Cohen would use religion to mask his alleged abuse.

She said: "That mask, along with the children's inability to find their voice yet, allowed the abuse to go on for a long time.

"I think the extent of the neglect and abuse and the fear that these boys endured is incredibly poignant."

Cohen had previously faced charges of indecency with a child in 2019, after a foreign exchange student from Spain, who had lived with his family, accused him of sexual abuse. Currently, he is being held without bond until his upcoming court appearance.

Source: Daily Mail : mirror. UK