BOSTON — State Troopers were at Logan International Airport last week to arrest a Dartmouth man upon arrival, after a fellow passenger reported seeing “disturbing” images and videos of prepubescent children, among other things, while in view of the man’s phone during a flight from Nashville, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
Jed Cohen, 74, of Dartmouth, was ordered held on $10,000 bail at his arraignment on Wednesday, July 17, in Boston Municipal Court on charges of possession of child pornography, disseminating photographs of sexual or intimate parts of a child and paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18, according to a release from the DA. According to Judge Debra DelVecchio’s orders, Cohen is to be on home confinement with GPS monitoring if he is released, the DA’s release said.
According to the DA, Mass State Police were informed around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, that a passenger of a JetBlue flight destined for Logan Airport had been witnessing another passenger — later ID’d as Cohen — allegedly looking at “disturbing” images and videos on his phone of girls ranging in age from toddlers to 10-11 years old, and having “sickening” text exchanges. That passenger took notes on what he’d allegedly witnessed and provided them to staff during the flight, according to the release.
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The reporting passenger’s notes included an account in which Cohen appeared to be asking someone, via message on WhatsApp, “how much does it cost to (expletive) her for a night?” relative to young girl, according to the release.
Aside from the passenger, a JetBlue flight crew member also reported seeing two photos of young girls allegedly being displayed on Cohen’s phone, according to the release. One of them appeared to show a minor girl unclothed from waist-up, the release said.
DA: MSP waited on arrival, found more disturbing content
State troopers were waiting to speak with Cohen upon arrival to Logan Airport. After Cohen provided state police with the passcode to his phone, troopers found messages that were allegedly “consistent with the witness’s information,” the release said. In one message, the DA alleges Cohen inquired about “sexual encounters with a three-year-old at his condo for a fee,” the release said. Investigators also found images and videos of sexual acts between adult males and underaged girls, according to the release. In response to one such photo, the DA’s office alleges Cohen wrote “I love her.”
“To call these allegations disturbing is a vast understatement,” Hayden is quoted in the release. “Sexual exploitation of any kind inflicts lifelong scars, and the harm increases exponentially when the victims are children. I thank this passenger for alerting the flight crew and I’m grateful for the crew’s swift action in notifying authorities.”
Cohen is due back in court on Aug. 16 for a probable cause hearing.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Passenger on JetBlue reported Dartmouth man to staff for child porn
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