times of Israel
In most of the cases, the men responded to ads posted on Craigslist by undercover agents posing as young women or men seeking a hook-up.
Cohen, 44, who has no prior record, was arrested in February outside an apartment in North St. Paul, where the federal agent posing as a 15-year-old boy suggested they meet after a week of communicating through a hook-up site, the Forward reported.
Cohen was the director of outreach for the Minneapolis Community Kollel, an Orthodox community center that offers seminars and classes on Jewish texts and religious life. He ran the Kollel’s JWAY program for college students and recent graduates. He and his wife, Adina, also led private text studies with male and female students at the Hillel on the University of Minnesota campus, according to the Forward, though he was not employed by Hillel.
Cohen’s name was removed from the Kollel’s website.
Maybe he was targeted. Entrapment.
ReplyDeleteSome undercover agent might have said to the Rabbi that there's a Jewish kid on this website. Maybe you can straighten him out.
So, the Rabbisays to himself: no crime to communicate over the site as long as no pictures exchanged.
Then the "kid" wants to meet.
And the Rabbi agrees.
Unfortunately, among other things, he allegedly also sent the agent a [lewd picture].
ReplyDelete“I sort of deserve it,” Cohen said unprompted while being taken to the local police department and before being informed of his Miranda rights, according to the complaint.
I didn't click through to the other article. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear that this was a case of undercover Kiruv gone awry.
ReplyDeleteThis in fact, this would be similar to others caught in the sting, who said they responded to the ads to find troubled youth in need of help.
Regarding the picture that he allegedly sent, perhaps the picture was not of himself, rather something that he found online. Still a illegal, but a bit less slimy.