Charles L. Cohen, a prominent Center City musician ensnared in a Craigslist sting, is scheduled to be released from a Montgomery County jail later this month.
Prosecutors say Cohen sought to have oral sex with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old on Craigslist. In September 2015, Cohen traveled to an Upper Providence shopping mall to meet the person.
Eventually, Cohen pleaded no contest to multiple sex-related offenses and faced up to 43 years in state prison.
But in February, a judge sentenced Cohen to six-23 months in county jail. Cohen requested probation rather than jail time, noting that his conduct was an “aberration” that won’t happen again.
On March 3, Cohen, 71, began serving his sentence at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville. He’s expected to receive credit for good behavior, thus he won’t be incarcerated for a full six months.
At the time of the incident, Cohen was on a medication known as Mirapex to treat Parkinson’s disease, which he said contributed to sexual compulsivity.
Scott A. Harper, an attorney for Cohen, had no comment for this story. Harper previously told a judge that Cohen would limit his future concerts to the Philadelphia region if he’s healthy enough to perform.
Before Cohen is released, authorities must ensure he’ll live at a suitable domicile. A Montgomery County government spokesperson issued this statement: “In the case of Cohen, he is a convicted sex offender. We confirmed his address and have forwarded this information to Adult Probation. Adult Probation goes out to the address to ensure it is a suitable home environment for a sex offender to reside in. They do this for all convicted sex offenders.”
Additionally, Cohen will be under court-ordered supervision for about four years and, as a convicted sex offender, he must register with the Pennsylvania State Police every three months for the rest of his life, according to court records.
