"Do you know how many children can be taken and molested in 60 days?" asked Marie Curcio, the mother of two
This really concerns me. Does anyone know what Larry Cohen looks like? How does anyone protect their children from this convicted sex offender without a photograph?
Case of Lawrence J. Cohen:
'05 home of sex offender at issue
Asbury Park Press - Feb. 4, 2006
BY JAMES A. QUIRK
FREEHOLD BUREAU
MANALAPAN — Whether or not the township can force a convicted sex offender to move from his parents' house, located directly behind the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, may hinge on one issue: Whether his "home" in 2005 was a federal prison.
On Jan. 9, Lawrence Cohen, 40, returned to his parents' home on Alexandria Drive after serving a seven-year sentence for disseminating child pornography and attempting to lure an 11-year-old boy into a weekend of deviant sex. That "boy" was actually an undercover police officer who was communicating with Cohen in an online chat room.
Cohen's presence in the bustling neighborhood surrounding the library was quickly noticed by neighbors who remembered his 1997 arrest. On Tuesday, about 30 residents went to a Township Committee meeting to demand that Cohen be made to move.
In most respects, Cohen falls directly within the parameters of Manalapan's Sex Offender Residency Restriction Ordinance, commonly known as "Miracle's Law" after Miracle Torregrossa, the woman who helped create it. Miracle's Law prohibits sex offenders who must register with the state under Megan's Law from living within 2,500 feet of a church, school, day care center or library.
But the caveat to Miracle's Law, one that could apply to Cohen, is that sex offenders who had established residences in town before the ordinance took effect are exempt from it.
"This case is going to solely revolve around where his residence is," said Stuart Moskovitz, the former township attorney who drafted Miracle's Law. "If his legal residence (when the ordinance was approved) was prison, then the ordinance applies to him."
Committeeman Joseph Locricchio said Cohen's case is being reviewed by the police department and township attorney. He was careful not to speak in detail about the matters concerning Cohen, but emphasized that "if the state requires him to register under Megan's Law, then our ordinance automatically kicks in and he has to abide by it under the law."
Locricchio said Miracle's Law specifically states that a sex offender attempting to move back into Manalapan, even if he or she had lived in town before the ordinance came into effect, could still not live within 2,500 feet of a church, school, day care center or library.
In early 1997, Cohen, then a kindergarten teacher at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn, began chatting online with an informant of the U.S. Customs Service, which was investigating Internet crimes. According to court papers, Cohen frequented a specific chat room that focused on boys and sex. It didn't take long for Cohen to proposition someone who he thought was an 11-year-old boy for a weekend of bondage sex in a Wall motel. In March 1997, Cohen was arrested when he arrived at the agreed-upon hotel. In the trunk of his car, police discovered numerous bondage devices, including leather dog collars.
Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty to a federal charge of distributing child pornography via the Internet, and was sentenced to 10 years. He was also sentenced to seven years in a state prison for attempting to have sex with a minor.
When Cohen was given his state sentence on April 16, 1999, Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet called Cohen "a disturbed individual," and noted that a psychologist who examined him said the defendant "has clearly struggled with severe sexual pathology for years (and suffers) from a combination of severe psychological disturbance and exceptionally bad judgment."
Chaiet ordered that Cohen be subject to the requirements of Megan's Law and community supervision for at least 15 years after his release from prison.
During his trial, Cohen's attorneys said he was sexually molested at summer camp as a child, and was combing the Internet for his molester. They also have maintained that Cohen suffered from a multiple personality disorder brought out by the abuse he endured as a child.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Cohen was sent to the federal prison in Fairton, Cumberland County, on Jan. 28, 1999. On April 11, 2000, he was transferred to the federal prison at Fort Dix. Then, in December 2005, Cohen entered a "transitional halfway house" program run by the Community Corrections Management Office in Brooklyn. It could not be determined Friday where Cohen was placed during this "transition" period.
Cohen has not been classified under the Megan's Law tier system. Police are only required to send notification to neighbors of a Tier 3 offender. The state has 60 days to classify Cohen, a facet of the process that has Cohen's neighbors infuriated.
"Do you know how many children can be taken and molested in 60 days?" asked Marie Curcio, the mother of two.
Matthew Schuman, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cohen is a registered sex offender. He added that his picture is not posted on the state's police records Web site because Cohen technically never served time in a state prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not make pictures of their prisoners available online.
Matthew Schuman, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cohen is a registered sex offender. He added that his picture is not posted on the state's police records Web site because Cohen technically never served time in a state prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not make pictures of their prisoners available online.
Case of Lawrence J. Cohen:
'05 home of sex offender at issue
Asbury Park Press - Feb. 4, 2006
BY JAMES A. QUIRK
FREEHOLD BUREAU
MANALAPAN — Whether or not the township can force a convicted sex offender to move from his parents' house, located directly behind the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, may hinge on one issue: Whether his "home" in 2005 was a federal prison.
On Jan. 9, Lawrence Cohen, 40, returned to his parents' home on Alexandria Drive after serving a seven-year sentence for disseminating child pornography and attempting to lure an 11-year-old boy into a weekend of deviant sex. That "boy" was actually an undercover police officer who was communicating with Cohen in an online chat room.
Cohen's presence in the bustling neighborhood surrounding the library was quickly noticed by neighbors who remembered his 1997 arrest. On Tuesday, about 30 residents went to a Township Committee meeting to demand that Cohen be made to move.
In most respects, Cohen falls directly within the parameters of Manalapan's Sex Offender Residency Restriction Ordinance, commonly known as "Miracle's Law" after Miracle Torregrossa, the woman who helped create it. Miracle's Law prohibits sex offenders who must register with the state under Megan's Law from living within 2,500 feet of a church, school, day care center or library.
But the caveat to Miracle's Law, one that could apply to Cohen, is that sex offenders who had established residences in town before the ordinance took effect are exempt from it.
"This case is going to solely revolve around where his residence is," said Stuart Moskovitz, the former township attorney who drafted Miracle's Law. "If his legal residence (when the ordinance was approved) was prison, then the ordinance applies to him."
Committeeman Joseph Locricchio said Cohen's case is being reviewed by the police department and township attorney. He was careful not to speak in detail about the matters concerning Cohen, but emphasized that "if the state requires him to register under Megan's Law, then our ordinance automatically kicks in and he has to abide by it under the law."
Locricchio said Miracle's Law specifically states that a sex offender attempting to move back into Manalapan, even if he or she had lived in town before the ordinance came into effect, could still not live within 2,500 feet of a church, school, day care center or library.
In early 1997, Cohen, then a kindergarten teacher at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn, began chatting online with an informant of the U.S. Customs Service, which was investigating Internet crimes. According to court papers, Cohen frequented a specific chat room that focused on boys and sex. It didn't take long for Cohen to proposition someone who he thought was an 11-year-old boy for a weekend of bondage sex in a Wall motel. In March 1997, Cohen was arrested when he arrived at the agreed-upon hotel. In the trunk of his car, police discovered numerous bondage devices, including leather dog collars.
Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty to a federal charge of distributing child pornography via the Internet, and was sentenced to 10 years. He was also sentenced to seven years in a state prison for attempting to have sex with a minor.
When Cohen was given his state sentence on April 16, 1999, Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet called Cohen "a disturbed individual," and noted that a psychologist who examined him said the defendant "has clearly struggled with severe sexual pathology for years (and suffers) from a combination of severe psychological disturbance and exceptionally bad judgment."
Chaiet ordered that Cohen be subject to the requirements of Megan's Law and community supervision for at least 15 years after his release from prison.
During his trial, Cohen's attorneys said he was sexually molested at summer camp as a child, and was combing the Internet for his molester. They also have maintained that Cohen suffered from a multiple personality disorder brought out by the abuse he endured as a child.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Cohen was sent to the federal prison in Fairton, Cumberland County, on Jan. 28, 1999. On April 11, 2000, he was transferred to the federal prison at Fort Dix. Then, in December 2005, Cohen entered a "transitional halfway house" program run by the Community Corrections Management Office in Brooklyn. It could not be determined Friday where Cohen was placed during this "transition" period.
Cohen has not been classified under the Megan's Law tier system. Police are only required to send notification to neighbors of a Tier 3 offender. The state has 60 days to classify Cohen, a facet of the process that has Cohen's neighbors infuriated.
"Do you know how many children can be taken and molested in 60 days?" asked Marie Curcio, the mother of two.
Matthew Schuman, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cohen is a registered sex offender. He added that his picture is not posted on the state's police records Web site because Cohen technically never served time in a state prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not make pictures of their prisoners available online.
posted by Jewish Survivors at Monday, February 06, 2006
2 Comments:
If Larry Cohen has a multiple personality disorder is living with his parents really a good idea?
Doesn't MPD usually develop in early childhood, and caused by repeated traumatic events. Usually these events include childhood sexual abuse.
Is Larry living with people who might have abused him? Wouldn't this trigger him to dissociate, and put him at risk of abusing again?
I don't know enough about him to know if he was abused in his home, but this definately sends out red flags when I read the article.
Thank you for posting this article. I had no idea.
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