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When Hayim Cohen was wheeled into a courtroom Monday , he looked pale, frail and bald -- a dramatic difference from the last time we saw the Houston father charged with sexually abusing his adopted sons . After Judge Lanilo Lacayo outlined the charges against Cohen, he pleaded guilty to four counts of continuous sexual assault of a child. He was originally accused of sexually assaulting six of his nine sons.
Cohen also pleaded guilty to one count of indecency with a child involving a foreign exchange student who lived with the family in 2019. Lacayo then sentenced Cohen to 40 years for each count of continuous sexual assault and 15 years for the indecency charge. They'll be served concurrently.
"You realize you are never going to get out of prison, you're going to die in prison?" Lacayo asked Cohen. When he asked the defendant his age, Cohen, now 40, didn't answer. "I know you understand everything I've said to you from the beginning to the end," the judge told Cohen.
"You ran an interesting con, sir. You violated all these boys and you're here today facing justice." RELATED: No bond for Houston man accused of sexually abusing six adopted sons (Graphic content) Under Texas law, Cohen can't be released before serving the entire 40 years due to the nature of his crimes.
Lacayo said that given Cohen's age, chances are "slim to none" that he'll ever get out of prison. "You deserve that sentence, you understand that, right?" he asked Cohen before he was wheeled back out of the courtroom. Assistant District Attorney Janna Oswald said the guilty pleas were a relief because the victims won't face the trauma of testifying during a trial.
"I feel that justice has been done for them, and they don't have to get up and testify and recount everything that they've experienced by him and so that is, I believe a relief for myself as well as for them. Prosecutors had previously accused Cohen of faking a terminal illness. In 2023, Oswald told KHOU 11 that the children testified their father only used his oxygen and wheelchair in front of other people.
Despite his appearance on Monday, Oswald said she still believes at least some of it is an act. "I'm sure that in faking his illness, he's made himself not as healthy as he probably could be, but I do believe he's still faking a lot of what he's presenting in court," she told KHOU 11. She said they've subpoenaed and requested Cohen's medical records, but they're protected by HIPAA.
RELATED: Houston man charged with sexually assaulting 6 adopted sons is faking 'terminal illness,' prosecutors say (Graphic content).
