A former rabbi who pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in electronic communication describing sexual conduct with a child was sentenced yesterday in Ramsey County Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.
44-year-old Aryeh Leiv Cohen’s legal troubles first began in February 2018 when he struck up a conversation someone claiming to be 16-year-old boy on Grindr.
Little did he know, Cohen, who worked as a rabbi and youth outreach director at Minneapolis Community Kollel, was actually communicating with an undercover agent.
Related: Religious leader caught grooming teen for sex on Grindr says it was maybe “a little illegal”
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During their chats, the agent mentioned that he was underage, to which Cohen replied, “It’s a little illegal” before describing all the graphic sex acts he would like to perform on the youth then sending naked pictures of himself.
The two eventually arranged a meetup at Cohen’s apartment. When police arrived at his front door to arrest him, Cohen told them, “I sort of deserve it.”
In November, Cohen pled guilty to one count of engaging in electronic communication describing sexual conduct with a child.
Related: Religious leader pleads guilty to sending dirty pics and trying to seduce teen boy he met on Grindr
This week, a judge sentenced Cohen to two days in the Ramsey County Correctional Facility followed by three years probation.
After his arrest last year, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Community Kollel where Cohen worked issued a statement saying, “The Kollel is deeply concerned about the health and well-being of our students, staff, and broader community and we hope and pray for healing and wellness for all who have been or may be affected during this troubling and difficult time.”
Polaro
Pedophiles need to be shut down, but I have never been a fan of these sting operations. Had there not been someone pretending to be 16, would this guy have ever done something like this? Don’t know what the right answer is. It’ just one step up from the undercover cops in bathrooms wagging their dicks around and then arresting men if they give them attention.
Vince
Who cares. Funny how these things just never happen to me. Oh that’s right. I’m not lusting after little boys. F*ck him.
crowebobby
Vince: This is exactly how straights felt about sting operations against gays: “Don’t be a pervert and you’ll have nothing to worry about . . . I don’t.” BShade77: If men don’t mature till 25 — and I agree they don’t — then why not make the legal age of consent 25? It’s just sex, girls!!! Not heroin; not even nicotine; just natural-as-eating-and-shitting sex!!!
Cato
Generally I would agree. Sting operations like this are rotten. But in response to your question, “would this guy have ever done something like this?”, the answer is “He was the YOUTH OUTREACH director at his synagogue. He works with kids. So in this case, yes, it seems very possible that he would have tried something with one of the kids in his program if he hadn’t been caught.
Billy Budd
In many states of USA, a 16 yo can drive. So, you can drive a car but you cannot FUC*? How crazy is that?
Vince
I’m all for 16 yo’s experimenting with other boys around their own ages. However, middle aged guys who get caught with one it should be automatic castration.
We already know how supportive you are of young boys and old men having sex.
BShade77
Billy Buddy you are disgusting.
Rock-N-RollHS
@ oh Fonzi, I mean “Vince”; you might consider joining ISIS. What fun you would have castrating all those perverts!
DHT
If you’re 16 you can “FUC*” as many other adolescents as you want. That isn’t crazy, it is sane. What is crazy is pedos wanting to “FUC*” a 16 year old.
Billy Budd
A sixteen year old is NOT A CHILD. Stop with this nonsense.
HereIAm
Pedophiles never think there is anything wrong their disgusting attraction to young children (yes, anyone under 18 shouldn’t be allowed to have consensual sex with older men). These deranged men are angry with the world which condemns their shameless lust for children who can’t make these decision for themselves. I sincerely pray that you, sir, are not one of them.
BShade77
yes, a 16 yr old is a child, you moron. Men do not fully mature until after age 25. If you want to get with a 16 yr old boy go ahead, no one is stopping you.
Bob LaBlah
Billy Budd I couldn’t agree more with you on that one. About four years or so ago I began to see an alarming rate of vids these kids themselves began posting on line either j/o or having sex with toys or themselves. Its time to realize its a new day out there. I can not take the side of a kid who posted things online and claim they had no idea what they were doing.
HereIAm
Bob, the fact that these disgusting videos you were exposed to fail to send chills down your spine bothers me a great deal. Those poor children have been brain washed and damaged. This whole thing is disturbing and alarming but you seem to be saying get used to it and that time has changed and It’s OK. Well it’s not OK, not at all, and that’s why we need to double the sting operations to catch those psycho pedophiles and lock them away so they can no long take advantage of our vulnerable children.
Vince
@Bob LaBlah. The kids guilt is irrelevant to the law. The adult men lured in by these stings are guilty and it will only be a matter of time before they get their hands on a real kid.
I used to love to capture a predator by Chris Hanson.
Catholicslutbox
Some one needs to explain these consent laws and/or standardize them because there is a lot of misinformation out there.
Rock-N-RollHS
@ Oh Fonzi, clearly you love them teen boys. It’s ok. Don’t be ashamed
ricdardc1
” SILLY RABBI TRICKS ARE FOR KIDS”
Umoja
Sixteen is the age at which sex is legal in NZ, strange to think it is a crime when standing on a different piece of dirt.
BShade77
it’s gross either way, legal or not. A male brain does not fully mature until after age 26.
Kieran
@BShade There’s a lot of people who think it’s “gross” for you to have sex with another male. How about you stop judging others and learn tolerance?
Vince
@Kieran. Nambla used to say the same damn thing and the gay community tolerated them because of that for way too long.
Catholicslutbox
lol bshade. first it’s 25 and now it’s 26? Make up your mind.
If that’s the case then the drinking age shouldn’t be 21 but rather 25- i mean 26? The age of consent should also be the same.
Consent laws are confusing. 16 is the legal age of consent in Minnesota…so was he really “underage?” was it really a crime? ..The age of consent gets bumped up to 18 if the other person is a position of authority, which you can argue a rabbi is, but does is he still in a position of authority if he
other individual is not jewish?
PinkoOfTheGange
Speed limit on the highway is 65, in a school zone 25. It could be a crime just based on the dirt one was driving on.
Most laws that have numbers in them, the number is arbitrary based on the legislature’s whims.
Rock-N-RollHS
@ Fonzi was clearly fondled by an adult. And probably enjoyed it.
Heywood Jablowme
“A male brain does not fully mature until after age 26.” (Or whatever the age is this week.)
Damn I’m getting tired of that crap. It’s just some bullsh*t propaganda made up by the anti-marijuana wackos. And yeah the age keeps creeping up!
Until the 20th century, average human life expectancy was only about 30.
inbama
Meanwhile, puberty keeps “creeping down.”
Umoja
@BShade77 But why does this word ‘maturity’ need to mediate sexual activity? Isn’t a sixteen year old man’s body’s ability to ejaculate nature’s stamp of approval (that ejaculating is a relevant activity for his body)?
crowebobby
HereIAm: Your objection has absolutely nothing to do with how the under-18’s feel about having sex with older men. It’s about how YOU feel about them having sex with older men. “Fat people are disgusting so no one should ever have sex with fat people and should be severely punished if they do?” Does this make you feel better about being a c*ck sucker yourself? Because that’s normal and good?
PinkoOfTheGange
It doesn’t matter how the minor feels; it is still illegal.
Rock-N-RollHS
Probably simply for sending pics and chatting seems completely just.
buzzy58
There are a few things that are so confusing about sex and younger people. First where I live the age of consent is 16 BUT only with other people under 18. If a person over 18 tries to have sex with a 16 year old, even though the age of consent is 16, he will be arrested as a pedophile.
There is also something that really sucks. Because I am gay, someone sent me an email, which I DID NOT ask for, with pictures of young boys (15-18) along with a virus. When I opened the email (which I can’t believe I did) the pictures loaded onto my computer along with the virus. My computer completely froze so I had to take it in to get fixed. They found the pics and I was arrested and am now known as a pedophile, which I think sucks. The judge figured that if the computer is mine I am legally bound by whatever is on it. So what is someone suppose to do?
yup5hioop
If he wasn’t a rabbi and youth outreach director I might not care to pass judgement but that’s a position of authority over uh… youth. If he’s that uh… desperate? maybe he shouldn’t be doing that kind of work.
nitejonboy
Another bastard making us look bad.
DHT
2 days in jail, the guy worked with children! It’s incredible that the pedos are all on here irate and complaining. What is up with that judge…he should have received 2 years!
yup5hioop
It sort of smells of entrapment – I agree with the outrage but I also agree with the sentence. The cops were catfishing.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
I heard he refers to himself as bi-sexual. He is into both men and boys