Musician pleads not guilty to sex charges
Attorneys for Charles L. Cohen, a Center City musician charged with multiple sex offenses, says he’s innocent of all charges.
“My client is absolutely innocent,” said attorney Scott A. Harper. “He’s not a pedophile. He has no interest in having sex with minors. In my opinion, it was dishonest activity on the part of authorities that got my client into this predicament. What they’ve said about him is very slanderous. He’s absolutely been wrongfully accused.”
Cohen was arrested Sept. 28 after traveling to a shopping complex in Upper Providence Township, where he allegedly intended to meet a 14-year-old boy for oral sex. Instead, Cohen was arrested by law-enforcement authorities engaged in a sting operation.
Cohen, 70, is charged with unlawful contact with a minor, criminal attempt of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, and criminal use of a communication facility.
“My client got royally screwed by an undercover cop,” Harper added. “They made a mountain out of a molehill. I’m also concerned that homophobia is fueling the prosecution. We’ll find out more as discovery moves forward.”
Cohen posted $100,000 cash bail on Oct. 28 and has been free since.
The case is headed for trial in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court if the matter isn’t resolved, Harper said.
Assistant District Attorney Sophia G. Polites, who’s prosecuting Cohen, had no comment for this update.
Prosecutors in email scandal transferred
Three prosecutors under fire for participating in a racist, sexist and homophobic email ring have been transferred to lower-profile positions at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
The staffers are Frank G. Fina, E. Marc Costanzo and Patrick J. Blessington. They serve as assistant district attorneys under D.A. Seth Williams.
Fina, 51, has moved from the special-investigations unit to the civil-litigation unit. His annual salary is $124,200.
Costanzo, 57, has moved from the special-investigations unit to the appeals unit. His annual salary is $129,375.
Blessington, 58, has moved from the insurance-fraud unit to the post-conviction relief act unit. His annual salary is $145,340.
When they participated in the porn ring, they worked at the state Office of Attorney General. The ring was uncovered by Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane while reviewing a previous administration’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal.
Former state Rep. Babette Josephs said the prosecutors should be fired rather than transferred.
“Williams should get rid of Fina, Costanzo and Blessington without delay,” Josephs said.
Oral arguments set in Morris case
Oral arguments have been scheduled in PGN’s open-records request for dispatch records pertaining to the Nizah Morris incident.
The arguments are tentatively set for 9 a.m. April 4 in Room 232 of City Hall, with Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Linda A. Carpenter presiding.
PGN is requesting copies of Morris dispatch records in the possession of the District Attorney’s Office. In August, the state Office of Open Records ordered the D.A.’s Office to provide the records, since it hasn’t certified that it doesn’t have them.
Rather than complying with the order, the D.A.’s Office filed a notice of appeal in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
Assistant D.A. Douglas M. Weck Jr. is handling the case for the D.A.’s Office.
Morris was a trans woman found with a fatal head wound in 2002, shortly after a “courtesy ride” from Philadelphia police. Her homicide remains unsolved and advocates want a state and/or federal probe.
In a related open-records request, PGN seeks Morris 911 recordings from the D.A.’s Office. At presstime, that request remained pending at the state Office of Open Records.
— Timothy Cwiek
Philly LGBT orgs. receive grants
The Attic Youth Center and AIDS Law Project both received $50,000 grants this week.
The Barra Foundation, which invests in Philadelphia-area organizations that excel in innovative leadership and adaptability, will parcel out the funds over a two-year period. That works out to $25,000 each year. Thirty-eight other nonprofits received the same grant.
Peers in the nonprofit sector nominated organizations to apply, and Barra picked the winners. The 2016-17 Barra awardees can use the money for any purpose.
Dr. Carrie Jacobs, executive director of The Attic, said the money would help her organization “continue to build our programs based on what we hear from our young people.”
Two areas of importance for The Attic include workforce development and family-therapy programs, Jacobs said.
“We are really honored,” she added, noting it was especially meaningful to be recognized as a nonprofit that is innovative and impactful.
“You can use those words to describe us,” Jacobs said. “It’s what we aspire to.”
Ronda Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project, said the Barra grant feels like a “double endorsement” because the funds are unrestricted.
“It shows the foundation believes we’ll use that money to get to the heart of our mission and battle stigma,” she said.
Goldfein said the AIDS Law Project has received targeted grants this year for housing and debt programs. She said the Barra funds would go toward pursuing discrimination cases and equal access to health care.
“All those things keep people with HIV fully functional in society,” Goldfein said.
Applications sought for LGBT Congressional internship
The Victory Congressional Internship is accepting applications for its summer program. The due date is Jan. 25.
Victory seeks current undergraduate students of all genders, orientations and majors. The program pairs students for eight weeks with a member of the LGBT Equality Caucus or an LGBT-friendly member of Congress to learn firsthand about the federal legislative process.
Accepted students receive a stipend, housing in Washington, D.C., during the internship, as well as travel and registration for the 2016 LGBT Leaders Conference.
For more information, visit www.victoryinstitute.org/programs/victory-congressional-internship.
Survey to determine 2016 ACLU priorities
The American Civil Liberties Union opened a survey this month asking people how the organization should prioritize its civil-rights work in the upcoming year.
The 2016 Freedom Survey is available here: http://ow.ly/VCCpb.
The ACLU asks 10 multiple-choice questions. Topics include nondiscrimination legislation to protect LGBT people, voter suppression and access to reproductive health care. There is space for further comments at the end.
— Paige Cooperstein