1 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:08,740 In this episode of American Greed, meet the attorney who swears he can make the 2 00:00:08,740 --> 00:00:11,660 dreams of couples wanting children come true. 3 00:00:11,940 --> 00:00:13,680 These people weren't looking for money. 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:20,000 They wanted a family, and he preyed upon that. He promises babies for a hefty 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,560 price. I'm thinking, oh, my God, there's a baby. 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:25,500 How are we going to come up with all this money? 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:32,439 But Kevin Cohen is actually a merciless con artist, brokering deals that shock 8 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:36,140 investigators. I've never seen anything like this before. He has every angle to 9 00:00:36,140 --> 00:00:36,939 get out. 10 00:00:36,940 --> 00:00:42,060 And he callously exploits the hopes and desires of people just wanting to be 11 00:00:42,060 --> 00:00:46,140 parents. It really is incredible that anyone would do this. And, you know, had 12 00:00:46,140 --> 00:00:48,240 he stabbed me in the heart, it would have been less cruel. 13 00:01:03,900 --> 00:01:05,099 August 2010. 14 00:01:06,420 --> 00:01:10,900 41 -year -old Kevin Cohen sits in an interview room at the Nassau County 15 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:13,000 District Attorney's Office on Long Island. 16 00:01:14,180 --> 00:01:17,880 You know that you've been arrested and charged with a crime in Nassau County? 17 00:01:18,100 --> 00:01:19,100 Yes. 18 00:01:19,780 --> 00:01:24,980 This long -haired Kevin Cohen is a far cry from the clean -cut attorney he once 19 00:01:24,980 --> 00:01:28,960 was. You knew you were taking money for something that you didn't have. 20 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:30,400 I'm not trying to suggest... 21 00:01:30,780 --> 00:01:34,020 that it was right or justified at all. I'm just telling you what it was. 22 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:40,520 But this is the same Kevin Cohen who was accused of stealing nearly $300 ,000 23 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:45,720 and leaving a two -year trail of broken promises and heartache in his wake. 24 00:01:46,060 --> 00:01:47,440 I concocted everything. 25 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:52,760 How did you choose what to concoct? I made it up. 26 00:01:56,830 --> 00:02:01,510 Cohen's final strange journey to jail begins a little over a year earlier in 27 00:02:01,510 --> 00:02:06,610 March 2009 when he meets Deborah and Milton Josephs of Port Washington, New 28 00:02:06,610 --> 00:02:11,590 York. The Josephs, desperate for a child, have been trying to adopt an 29 00:02:11,910 --> 00:02:16,270 They've placed ads in newspapers and chased leads across the country with no 30 00:02:16,270 --> 00:02:20,670 luck. It just didn't pan out. We got a couple of calls, but this was over a 31 00:02:20,670 --> 00:02:21,670 period of about two years. 32 00:02:22,410 --> 00:02:24,670 And then we were introduced to Kevin Cohen. 33 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:31,160 Cohen is practically a neighbor. He lives in the upscale community of Roslyn 34 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:35,340 Heights, less than 15 minutes away from the Josephs. When we went to his house, 35 00:02:35,420 --> 00:02:38,660 we sat down with him and he talked about the whole process of what would happen, 36 00:02:38,820 --> 00:02:40,900 of how the next few months would pan out. 37 00:02:43,060 --> 00:02:47,400 Relaxed and friendly, the 41 -year -old adoption attorney quickly puts the 38 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:48,400 Josephs at ease. 39 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,360 He just came across as a nice, normal guy. 40 00:02:54,350 --> 00:02:59,910 A lawyer that was doing this area of law because he'd been adopted himself and 41 00:02:59,910 --> 00:03:03,010 wanted to help other couples that wanted to adopt children. 42 00:03:04,750 --> 00:03:09,430 Cohen offers to help the Josephs navigate the complicated and emotional 43 00:03:09,430 --> 00:03:15,130 of adoption, a process that some estimates suggest ends in failure almost 44 00:03:15,130 --> 00:03:16,009 of the time. 45 00:03:16,010 --> 00:03:18,210 He's a master manipulator. 46 00:03:18,650 --> 00:03:22,630 And he knows how to read people. He knows how to tell people exactly what 47 00:03:22,630 --> 00:03:24,990 want to hear. And he is very good at it. 48 00:03:25,570 --> 00:03:27,550 Today, Cohen has great news. 49 00:03:28,010 --> 00:03:33,510 He knows a teenage college student named Erin who wants to give up her baby when 50 00:03:33,510 --> 00:03:34,509 it's born. 51 00:03:34,510 --> 00:03:36,970 There's this child in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 52 00:03:37,490 --> 00:03:42,370 It's going to be born late August. Even the timing works out well for it. So we 53 00:03:42,370 --> 00:03:44,130 had the summer to prepare for this child. 54 00:03:45,510 --> 00:03:50,410 Cohen shows the Josephs Aaron's medical records, and he even offers a sonogram 55 00:03:50,410 --> 00:03:51,410 of the infant. 56 00:03:52,190 --> 00:03:54,090 The record he gave us seemed legit. 57 00:03:54,570 --> 00:03:59,770 There was a pediatric practice in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that he gave us 58 00:03:59,770 --> 00:04:04,570 Aaron's medical history, and I googled that at the very beginning, and it was 59 00:04:04,570 --> 00:04:05,570 there. 60 00:04:06,050 --> 00:04:07,130 But there's a catch. 61 00:04:07,710 --> 00:04:13,150 To facilitate the adoption, Cohen needs $35 ,000 deposited into his bank account 62 00:04:13,150 --> 00:04:15,050 for medical and legal expenses. 63 00:04:15,830 --> 00:04:20,250 He made sure that the number that he was asking for wasn't an extraordinary 64 00:04:20,250 --> 00:04:23,790 amount of money. It wasn't a low amount of money. It was right in the realm of 65 00:04:23,790 --> 00:04:25,090 what it would cost to adopt a child. 66 00:04:25,710 --> 00:04:29,610 Cohen tells them if they want the baby, they need to act immediately. 67 00:04:30,050 --> 00:04:33,110 He said we had to sign the papers there and then, that there were other couples 68 00:04:33,110 --> 00:04:36,790 that were interested, and I think we wired the money the following day. 69 00:04:39,630 --> 00:04:42,810 A few days later, Cohen comes back with even better news. 70 00:04:43,350 --> 00:04:48,090 He's found a second birth mother in Lincoln, Nebraska, who was also willing 71 00:04:48,090 --> 00:04:50,650 give up her child in early August as well. 72 00:04:51,090 --> 00:04:57,610 He presents us with an option, almost an insurance policy, by saying to us, if 73 00:04:57,610 --> 00:05:02,070 Erin didn't work out, then we could have the first option on the baby in 74 00:05:02,070 --> 00:05:05,350 Nebraska, or we could even take both children if we wanted. 75 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:12,280 This insurance policy is great news, but it costs the Josephs another $30 ,000, 76 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,340 $25 ,000 for expenses and $5 ,000 for additional fees. 77 00:05:16,860 --> 00:05:19,700 In the span of two weeks, we've given this man $65 ,000. 78 00:05:20,660 --> 00:05:25,360 During the summer of 2009, Cohen visits the Josephs' house regularly, offering 79 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,420 updates on the pending births of two baby girls. 80 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,840 He kept us appraised all the time of the progress of the birth mothers and their 81 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,590 pregnancies. and that they'd had another scan and everything was fine. 82 00:05:37,930 --> 00:05:42,070 But in August, Cohen delivers the Josephs some disappointing news. 83 00:05:42,590 --> 00:05:47,150 Both birth mothers are experiencing complications and delivery dates have 84 00:05:47,150 --> 00:05:48,650 pushed back several weeks. 85 00:05:49,070 --> 00:05:52,430 He kept telling us everything was fine. He'd spoken to the doctors, everything 86 00:05:52,430 --> 00:05:54,270 was fine. At this point, we trust him implicitly. 87 00:05:54,850 --> 00:05:57,330 The dates are pushed back again into September. 88 00:05:57,790 --> 00:06:02,550 To ensure a smooth adoption, the Josephs decide to split their efforts. 89 00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:05,160 I was going to Nebraska. 90 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:06,520 Deb was going to Pennsylvania. 91 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:11,080 Whichever child was born first, we were going to adopt that child. 92 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,420 Deborah hurries to Pennsylvania and waits anxiously in a hotel room for 93 00:06:17,420 --> 00:06:18,420 call. 94 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,620 But when it finally comes, it's more bad news. 95 00:06:22,100 --> 00:06:25,780 He called her and said that the cord had got wrapped around the baby's neck 96 00:06:25,780 --> 00:06:30,940 during the birth, and she couldn't go into the hospital. 97 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,560 Cohen assures them the baby is fine, but that Aaron is in no condition to sign 98 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:39,560 adoption papers. 99 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:45,480 Disappointed, Deborah returns home only to learn the Nebraska adoption, her 100 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,780 insurance policy, has also fallen through. 101 00:06:49,420 --> 00:06:54,620 The second birth mother has disappeared from the hospital, and Kevin Cohen is 102 00:06:54,620 --> 00:06:55,700 nowhere to be found. 103 00:06:55,980 --> 00:06:57,840 He wasn't answering his calls straight away. 104 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:00,600 I think then our suspicions began to get aroused. 105 00:07:01,729 --> 00:07:05,370 Milton does some investigating about the Pennsylvania birth mother. 106 00:07:05,910 --> 00:07:09,930 Erin's name has been redacted with a black marker on all the medical records 107 00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:13,770 they have. But her last name is just barely legible. 108 00:07:14,150 --> 00:07:16,850 I held it up to the light and just about make out O'Malley. 109 00:07:17,990 --> 00:07:19,390 Erin O'Malley. 110 00:07:20,190 --> 00:07:24,850 The Josephs hired a private investigator to dig into Cohen's story about the 111 00:07:24,850 --> 00:07:26,690 mysterious Erin O'Malley. 112 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,980 Within days, he confirms that their lawyer has fed them nothing but lies. 113 00:07:32,540 --> 00:07:34,720 His words were the red flags popping up everywhere. 114 00:07:34,980 --> 00:07:37,840 You need to go and talk to the Nassau County DA. 115 00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:44,780 Up next on American Greed, Cohen parlays his reputation and background to 116 00:07:44,780 --> 00:07:47,400 perfect an almost unbelievable scam. 117 00:07:48,100 --> 00:07:50,120 He preyed upon their vulnerability. 118 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:56,340 He used and abused them to get the only thing he cares about, which is money. 119 00:08:08,230 --> 00:08:12,690 Kevin Cohen's descent from respected lawyer to scam artist has been a 120 00:08:12,690 --> 00:08:17,110 process, as Cohen later explains to a court psychiatrist. 121 00:08:18,470 --> 00:08:22,390 I've always admired people who are able to go through a great deal of adversity 122 00:08:22,390 --> 00:08:26,890 and to come to grips with it and to rise above it. And I try to be one of those 123 00:08:26,890 --> 00:08:29,050 people. And I try to be too much. 124 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:33,830 Born in New York in 1968, Cohen is himself adopted. 125 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:38,100 and raised in the exclusive Long Island town of Roslyn Heights. 126 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,380 Kevin was the only child, and he was the D child. 127 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:43,419 He had everything, Kevin. 128 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:49,080 Attorney Matin Emuna has known Cohen since they were 10 years old and has 129 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:50,920 briefly as his defense lawyer. 130 00:08:51,300 --> 00:08:53,720 Kevin was a friend to everybody. Everybody liked Kevin. 131 00:08:53,980 --> 00:08:59,160 He was, in fact, very much involved with the community affairs programs or 132 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:00,160 school activities. 133 00:09:00,420 --> 00:09:03,540 Early success comes easily for Kevin Cohen. 134 00:09:14,140 --> 00:09:19,900 He receives an Ivy League education, graduating from the University of 135 00:09:19,900 --> 00:09:21,560 Pennsylvania in 1990. 136 00:09:22,180 --> 00:09:29,160 He's a really smart man, but everyone agreed Kevin was much more interested 137 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:34,300 in... having this perception of being successful, than he was in actually 138 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:36,920 anything and putting in the work to become successful. 139 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,300 He attends the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. 140 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:45,060 But in 1993, his mother dies suddenly. 141 00:09:45,420 --> 00:09:48,540 This blow leads to bouts of severe depression. 142 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:50,720 And how did you do in school? 143 00:09:51,180 --> 00:09:52,180 Terrible. 144 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,740 My mom got sick in the middle of my first year. 145 00:09:57,460 --> 00:09:59,840 And life was never the same after that. 146 00:10:01,140 --> 00:10:07,080 Cohen graduates and passes the bar in the late 90s. But instead of pursuing 147 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,140 he starts an Internet greeting card company. 148 00:10:10,460 --> 00:10:14,540 The seed money is provided by his wealthy father, a pattern that has been 149 00:10:14,540 --> 00:10:16,120 repeated throughout his life. 150 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:21,180 Due to the fact that that money was handed to him, without him working that 151 00:10:21,180 --> 00:10:25,420 for that money, he did not know how to appreciate the dollar the same way. 152 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:26,960 You and I would. 153 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:32,020 Cohen struggles for seven years, trying unsuccessfully to make the business 154 00:10:32,020 --> 00:10:33,020 profitable. 155 00:10:33,380 --> 00:10:39,880 Spent over a quarter million dollars in cash on that business, tipped it all 156 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:40,880 away. 157 00:10:40,900 --> 00:10:42,900 Several years of my life tipped it all away. 158 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,420 Did he ever earn any money? 159 00:10:46,620 --> 00:10:47,620 No. 160 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:53,420 The business went nowhere, and eventually his father stopped funding 161 00:10:53,420 --> 00:10:54,420 upset him. 162 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:58,780 Cohen dabbles in other questionable businesses with similar results. 163 00:10:59,340 --> 00:11:04,360 He had one get -rich -quick scheme after another, and he was going to license 164 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:11,180 clean -seat toilet covers for public restrooms. He was going to franchise an 165 00:11:11,180 --> 00:11:16,760 Australian -Mexican restaurant, but he never had the means to do any of it. 166 00:11:16,980 --> 00:11:20,300 In 2002, his father dies. 167 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:26,500 And when he passed away, you know, about $3 .5 million estate. 168 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,400 And I was left with a nice side trust. 169 00:11:31,260 --> 00:11:35,980 And it was set up because you saw that I wasn't right. Something wasn't 170 00:11:35,980 --> 00:11:40,160 clicking. Cohen receives a monthly stipend of $2 ,400. 171 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:45,420 A year later, he marries and continues to live in the Rosalind Heights home. 172 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:48,160 He wanted everyone to believe that... 173 00:11:48,490 --> 00:11:52,670 His parent status was now his status, except he had never done anything to get 174 00:11:52,670 --> 00:11:57,930 there. His wife has a son from a previous marriage, and within a few 175 00:11:57,930 --> 00:12:02,310 Coens have two daughters together as well. The expenses of his growing family 176 00:12:02,310 --> 00:12:05,890 quickly outpace the $2 ,400 he receives each month. 177 00:12:06,210 --> 00:12:07,650 He's got three kids. 178 00:12:07,890 --> 00:12:10,250 They're all well -dressed. He's well -dressed. 179 00:12:10,650 --> 00:12:14,630 I mean, they're going out to dinner. They're living a life. 180 00:12:15,070 --> 00:12:17,630 He can't foot the bill for any of it. 181 00:12:18,110 --> 00:12:21,830 In 2004, Cohen tries a new business venture. 182 00:12:22,410 --> 00:12:27,170 He parlays two unsuccessful stints with law firms and rebrands himself an 183 00:12:27,170 --> 00:12:28,170 adoption specialist. 184 00:12:28,730 --> 00:12:34,150 He opens the not -for -profit company Adoption Annex in a Roslyn, New York 185 00:12:34,150 --> 00:12:35,650 a few miles from his house. 186 00:12:36,300 --> 00:12:40,420 He convinced a government agency to give him a million dollars for what he said 187 00:12:40,420 --> 00:12:42,960 would be the best thing to ever happen to adoption. 188 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:49,100 The adoption annex is touted as the first center of its kind in the country, 189 00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:51,500 haven for people looking for adoption support. 190 00:12:51,980 --> 00:12:58,600 It wasn't an agency. It was more of a go there for what the procedure is to 191 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,840 adopt a baby, go for counseling there if you're... 192 00:13:02,470 --> 00:13:06,310 prospective adoptive parents to find out exactly how and what you need to do. 193 00:13:06,650 --> 00:13:11,590 Adoption Annex doesn't broker adoptions, but it does offer Cohen a legitimacy 194 00:13:11,590 --> 00:13:13,330 he's never had before. 195 00:13:13,790 --> 00:13:16,250 Adoption Annex made him an adoption expert. 196 00:13:16,690 --> 00:13:18,730 He could go anywhere he wanted. 197 00:13:19,470 --> 00:13:23,090 People would Google him and come up with the adoption annex. 198 00:13:23,350 --> 00:13:24,830 Who's more legitimate than that? 199 00:13:26,910 --> 00:13:29,790 Cohen soon finds himself struggling to pay rent. 200 00:13:30,330 --> 00:13:33,970 but he hopes that a gift shop and admission fees will keep the adoption 201 00:13:33,970 --> 00:13:39,470 open. He had talked about franchising adoption annex, selling T -shirts and 202 00:13:39,470 --> 00:13:42,070 mugs, but the adoption annex didn't do anything. 203 00:13:43,950 --> 00:13:48,470 Cohen tries to maintain a facade of success, but the adoption annex is 204 00:13:48,470 --> 00:13:52,810 hemorrhaging money, and maintaining his affluent lifestyle is draining him every 205 00:13:52,810 --> 00:13:53,810 day. 206 00:13:54,830 --> 00:13:58,270 Several hundred thousand dollars in debt on top of what I spent on the annex, 207 00:13:58,450 --> 00:14:00,370 which was about three quarters of a million dollars. 208 00:14:01,230 --> 00:14:06,230 Cohen has only one real asset left, the house he lives in, which is still 209 00:14:06,230 --> 00:14:08,630 controlled by the trustee of his father's estate. 210 00:14:09,470 --> 00:14:12,690 Now he had a $750 ,000 mortgage he couldn't afford. 211 00:14:13,690 --> 00:14:18,090 And even though he couldn't afford any of it, a few months later he started a 212 00:14:18,090 --> 00:14:23,630 $400 ,000 expansion on this house that he could barely pay the taxes on. 213 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:29,820 When he's refused a refinancing request in 2008, Cohen forges the trustee's 214 00:14:29,820 --> 00:14:31,500 signature on loan documents. 215 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:32,520 The 216 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:40,540 trustee 217 00:14:40,540 --> 00:14:44,420 turns him in, and Cohen is arrested on December 12, 2008. 218 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:48,600 He's charged with grand larceny, forgery, and identity theft. 219 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:54,350 Out on bail and sinking deeper in debt, Cohen scrambles to find money. 220 00:14:54,790 --> 00:14:57,830 When this scheme started, he was at the end of his rope. He couldn't borrow from 221 00:14:57,830 --> 00:14:58,609 anybody anymore. 222 00:14:58,610 --> 00:14:59,630 He had to make money quickly. 223 00:15:00,450 --> 00:15:05,430 Next on American Greed, Cohen begins stalking desperate families who are 224 00:15:05,430 --> 00:15:09,370 to spend almost anything if it means a chance to adopt a baby. 225 00:15:09,930 --> 00:15:12,430 He was a predator, and he's greedy. 226 00:15:12,810 --> 00:15:15,410 All he wanted was money, and he didn't care who he hurt. 227 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:31,660 Kevin Cohen, who bills himself as a respected adoption attorney, has fallen 228 00:15:31,660 --> 00:15:32,660 hard times. 229 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,440 Friends wouldn't lend him any money. He couldn't borrow from a bank. He couldn't 230 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:37,460 remortgage his house anymore. 231 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,980 He's out of money, and he's out on bail. 232 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,900 Recently, he's been arrested for forging a trustee's signature on mortgage 233 00:15:45,900 --> 00:15:46,900 documents. 234 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:53,140 He found himself in a situation of his own making where there was really no way 235 00:15:53,140 --> 00:15:54,300 out for him. 236 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,040 And that's when he started the scam. 237 00:15:58,380 --> 00:16:01,780 Later in custody, Cohen will try to explain why. 238 00:16:02,100 --> 00:16:06,760 In December 2008, he puts the word out through friends that he knows a woman 239 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:08,560 wants to give her baby up for adoption. 240 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:15,680 I made up adoption birth mother situations that didn't exist in order to 241 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:19,980 people put money in escrow into my escrow account. 242 00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:26,980 Almost immediately, desperate families reach out to him, including Michael and 243 00:16:26,980 --> 00:16:28,620 Elise Romberg in Georgia. 244 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:35,720 We were introduced to Kevin by a family friend in New York who was in charge 245 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,700 of his children at a temple during day school. 246 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:45,600 Just outside of Atlanta, Michael and Elise Romberg can hardly believe their 247 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:46,600 luck. 248 00:16:46,620 --> 00:16:52,020 Cohen knows a college student named Francesca in Yuma, Arizona, who wants to 249 00:16:52,020 --> 00:16:53,020 give up her baby. 250 00:16:53,100 --> 00:16:57,280 He needed a family to adopt this baby, and he needed somebody quickly. 251 00:16:59,740 --> 00:17:03,740 The Rombergs are already very familiar with the adoption process. 252 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:08,800 They are both adopted and have recently adopted two daughters as well. 253 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:12,780 Cohen, himself adopted, knows what strings to pull. 254 00:17:13,310 --> 00:17:16,490 He stayed away from what would make us feel worse and kept with what made us 255 00:17:16,490 --> 00:17:20,770 feel better, and we were on the hook the whole time. 256 00:17:21,170 --> 00:17:24,430 He also comes with an impressive list of references. 257 00:17:25,150 --> 00:17:28,790 We searched the Internet, and we found nothing but glowing praises for Kevin 258 00:17:28,790 --> 00:17:30,270 Cohen and his adoption advocacy. 259 00:17:30,790 --> 00:17:32,590 Found nothing about his arrest record. 260 00:17:34,050 --> 00:17:39,950 The problem is Cohen needs $30 ,000 immediately, much more than the Rombergs 261 00:17:39,950 --> 00:17:40,950 afford. 262 00:17:41,020 --> 00:17:44,660 They tell him there's no way they can come up with that much money that 263 00:17:44,980 --> 00:17:48,320 He seemed very caring and supportive. 264 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:55,820 And so it didn't seem odd when he called back a couple of days later with a 265 00:17:55,820 --> 00:17:56,820 lower price. 266 00:17:57,420 --> 00:18:02,880 Cohen counters and says he only needs $7 ,500 to cover medical expenses. 267 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,460 He, being desperate for money, was at that point willing to take whatever he 268 00:18:07,460 --> 00:18:08,460 could get. 269 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,980 Cohen tells the Rombergs he can get the rest of the money from his not -for 270 00:18:12,980 --> 00:18:17,820 -profit company, the Adoption Annex. But he needs the $7 ,500 right away. 271 00:18:18,220 --> 00:18:22,760 I needed to take a quick loan out because he needed the money the next 272 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:28,940 The Rombergs find a $6 ,000 loan with a whopping 30 % interest rate and scrape 273 00:18:28,940 --> 00:18:30,300 together another $1 ,000. 274 00:18:30,940 --> 00:18:35,660 But they still can't meet Cohen's price until their two daughters step in to 275 00:18:35,660 --> 00:18:41,700 help. We came up about 500 short, and the kids definitely came forward and 276 00:18:41,780 --> 00:18:43,220 just take it. It's yours. 277 00:18:44,460 --> 00:18:45,720 That was a wonderful moment. 278 00:18:46,860 --> 00:18:50,120 Kevin knew that. They told Kevin that, and he still took the money. 279 00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:55,080 The final check they write is actually paid to the landlord of the building 280 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:56,840 houses Adoption Annex. 281 00:18:57,420 --> 00:19:02,800 This is a check that we sent in Kevin Cohen's name to East Coast Abstract, 282 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,960 we assumed was an escrow house because that's what they did. 283 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:10,680 It later turned out to be his landlord, and this money was to help him pay his 284 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:11,680 back rent. 285 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:16,760 Cohen shows the Rombergs detailed medical records for the supposed birth 286 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:21,860 Francesca. And then he offers the one document that always seems to seal the 287 00:19:21,860 --> 00:19:25,480 deal. Well, when I saw the sonogram, that's my baby. 288 00:19:25,860 --> 00:19:31,900 This is my baby. This is a real live, you know, we'll see you in a couple 289 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:32,900 months. 290 00:19:33,900 --> 00:19:38,600 Though he won't reveal Francesca's last name, Cohen does give the Rombergs 291 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,920 plenty of background information about her. 292 00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:46,220 She was a dancer. She was not planning on having a child, and she wanted a 293 00:19:46,220 --> 00:19:47,220 complete dance school. 294 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:52,700 Knowing their sedan is too small for three kids, the Rombergs buy a minivan. 295 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:57,360 It's just another expense as they prepare for the arrival of their new 296 00:19:58,010 --> 00:20:02,790 You have to have the onesies, you have to have receiving blankets, you have to 297 00:20:02,790 --> 00:20:04,210 have formula and bottles. 298 00:20:05,130 --> 00:20:08,330 When everything was said and done, I think we put out somewhere close to $50 299 00:20:08,330 --> 00:20:09,330 ,000. 300 00:20:11,110 --> 00:20:15,670 About a month before the delivery date, Cohen sends them a medical report with 301 00:20:15,670 --> 00:20:16,670 more good news. 302 00:20:17,050 --> 00:20:23,630 This is an email from Kevin Cohen stating it's a girl and how big she is 303 00:20:23,630 --> 00:20:24,910 much she weighs at this point. 304 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:30,880 In May 2009, the Rombergs tell Cohen they plan to come to Yuma for the birth 305 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,000 the baby they've decided to name Sylvia Ann. 306 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,860 At that point, he told us that it's probably not the best idea to go until 307 00:20:38,860 --> 00:20:43,120 baby's born, because you never can tell what's going to happen. 308 00:20:44,660 --> 00:20:46,800 The Rombergs ignore his advice. 309 00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:52,680 They pile into their new van, making the 2 ,000 -mile trek across the south to 310 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:53,680 Yuma. 311 00:20:53,770 --> 00:20:57,290 They have no way of knowing that Cohen has painted himself into a corner. 312 00:20:57,670 --> 00:21:02,510 At least three other families are converging on Yuma, all thinking they 313 00:21:02,510 --> 00:21:04,810 going to adopt the same baby girl. 314 00:21:06,550 --> 00:21:10,510 We sort of set up right in front of the hospital saying our baby is in there 315 00:21:10,510 --> 00:21:14,430 somewhere. And, you know, there could have been four other families doing the 316 00:21:14,430 --> 00:21:15,430 same exact thing. 317 00:21:15,970 --> 00:21:17,630 But we didn't know it at the time. 318 00:21:18,700 --> 00:21:23,860 To buy time, Cohen tells the Rombergs the birth father has changed his mind 319 00:21:23,860 --> 00:21:25,320 decided to keep the baby. 320 00:21:25,660 --> 00:21:32,460 He was very hopeful but not encouraging and no guarantees, obviously, that the 321 00:21:32,460 --> 00:21:34,220 father would come around in a couple of weeks. 322 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:41,300 Then, to further placate them, Cohen tells the Rombergs of a woman named Erin 323 00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:45,060 Pennsylvania who might soon be willing to give up her baby. 324 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:48,000 We actually drove home in a fairly good mood. 325 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:52,400 After all that, because he had dangled that in front of us and basically taken 326 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,500 all the negative possible out of the first adoption attempt. 327 00:21:57,180 --> 00:21:58,640 Cohen dodges a bullet. 328 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:03,260 None of the families converging on Yuma have realized his betrayal. 329 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:05,440 He just continued as normal. 330 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,480 He talked his way out of that one, and he'll talk his way out of the next one. 331 00:22:10,860 --> 00:22:14,900 The Rombergs speak periodically with Cohen over the coming months, but his 332 00:22:14,900 --> 00:22:16,780 updates about Aaron are vague. 333 00:22:17,470 --> 00:22:21,850 I had requested receipts and accounting at this point for the entire process 334 00:22:21,850 --> 00:22:24,550 because I was getting a little fed up with the lack of information. 335 00:22:25,230 --> 00:22:27,990 And he was never forthcoming with any of those items. 336 00:22:28,830 --> 00:22:31,470 Eventually, the calls and emails stopped. 337 00:22:32,590 --> 00:22:39,210 Next on American Greed, Cohen moves on and is looking to steal more money, one 338 00:22:39,210 --> 00:22:40,930 broken promise at a time. 339 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:45,560 He didn't care who he hurt. He didn't care who he ran over or what dreams he 340 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:46,680 shattered or hearts he broke. 341 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:48,200 He just wanted money. 342 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:49,540 And that's disgusting. 343 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:02,460 Kevin Cohen, a self -described adoption specialist, runs his first series of 344 00:23:02,460 --> 00:23:04,660 adoption scams in December 2008. 345 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:10,220 By the summer of 2009, the attorney finds himself buried under a mounting 346 00:23:10,220 --> 00:23:10,999 of debt. 347 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:12,700 and plagued with bouts of depression. 348 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,240 The adoption annex was bleeding him. 349 00:23:15,660 --> 00:23:19,720 I believe that the construction of his house was bleeding him. 350 00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:24,580 His mental state, just all three of them are all at the same time. 351 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:30,600 In fact, the adoption annex, Cohen's much -hyped adoption advocacy center, 352 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:32,380 been unable to pay rent for months. 353 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,560 Like his previous failed business ventures... 354 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:41,060 Cohen is forced to quietly shutter the annex, still owing his landlord $40 355 00:23:42,860 --> 00:23:47,660 Despite his debt, Cohen continues to overextend himself, maintaining the 356 00:23:47,660 --> 00:23:50,000 pretense of upper -middle -class success. 357 00:23:50,820 --> 00:23:55,640 He's, like, over a million dollars in debt, most of which is his personal 358 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:59,080 expenses. He's driving around in Escalades that he can't afford. 359 00:23:59,660 --> 00:24:04,700 That summer, he built a $32 ,000 driveway on this house he couldn't 360 00:24:05,340 --> 00:24:09,380 And to pay for it all, he's scamming money from desperate families looking to 361 00:24:09,380 --> 00:24:12,780 adopt by promising them babies who don't exist. 362 00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:17,680 I was trying to go in to get myself out of the hole that I had put myself into 363 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:22,200 throughout all those years of spending seven figures when he didn't have it to 364 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:23,200 easily spend. 365 00:24:23,700 --> 00:24:29,460 Using his credentials as an adoption specialist, Cohen quickly realizes there 366 00:24:29,460 --> 00:24:32,600 an almost limitless pool of families to steal from. 367 00:24:33,070 --> 00:24:34,650 He had victims that were poor. 368 00:24:34,950 --> 00:24:38,930 He had victims that were same -sex couples. He had victims that were single 369 00:24:38,930 --> 00:24:42,230 moms. There was no prejudice involved at all. He just ran the gamut. 370 00:24:43,470 --> 00:24:48,090 Unlike a lot of financial schemes, these people weren't looking for money. They 371 00:24:48,090 --> 00:24:49,790 weren't looking for a return on an investment. 372 00:24:50,150 --> 00:24:51,590 They just wanted a baby. 373 00:24:51,850 --> 00:24:53,110 They wanted a family. 374 00:24:53,470 --> 00:24:55,070 And he preyed upon that. 375 00:24:56,490 --> 00:24:58,390 The scam he runs is simple. 376 00:24:58,650 --> 00:25:01,930 To earn people's trust, he approaches his targets indirectly. 377 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:09,400 You told friends what before they... Because I have access to a situation. 378 00:25:09,740 --> 00:25:10,760 Do you know anybody? 379 00:25:11,260 --> 00:25:13,060 That you had access to a baby? 380 00:25:13,340 --> 00:25:14,340 Yes. 381 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:16,900 He said the same thing to at least 20 people. 382 00:25:17,340 --> 00:25:23,020 And they started talking to people they knew. And every one of his victims 383 00:25:23,020 --> 00:25:29,360 referred to him by someone who knew someone who said you can trust Kevin 384 00:25:30,670 --> 00:25:34,590 The would -be parents are told the money they give him has been placed in escrow 385 00:25:34,590 --> 00:25:36,690 to pay for medical costs and other expenses. 386 00:25:37,270 --> 00:25:40,530 Cohen's attention to detail sells the scam well. 387 00:25:40,970 --> 00:25:45,170 He produced expense sheets breaking down birth mother expenses. 388 00:25:45,410 --> 00:25:50,170 He took out phone numbers in the name of fictitious birth mothers and then 389 00:25:50,170 --> 00:25:55,710 billed showing phone calls between him and the birth mothers, all of which was 390 00:25:55,710 --> 00:25:57,510 just completely made up and fictitious. 391 00:25:58,830 --> 00:26:03,630 To support his stories, he provides medical records to prove the birth 392 00:26:03,630 --> 00:26:04,630 healthy. 393 00:26:07,030 --> 00:26:13,870 He Googles 394 00:26:13,870 --> 00:26:18,370 legitimate doctors and adds their forged signatures to his bogus medical 395 00:26:18,370 --> 00:26:22,170 records. So he made sure that if anybody was going to check on who this doctor 396 00:26:22,170 --> 00:26:23,530 was, that they were very reputable. 397 00:26:24,210 --> 00:26:26,750 He provides a sonogram of the baby. 398 00:26:27,570 --> 00:26:31,570 Sometimes he gave people it in black and white. Sometimes he gave it to them in 399 00:26:31,570 --> 00:26:32,570 color. 400 00:26:32,730 --> 00:26:36,590 Sometimes he split it and gave them one picture on one date and the other 401 00:26:36,590 --> 00:26:37,630 picture on the other date. 402 00:26:38,030 --> 00:26:40,810 But even the sonogram is yet another lie. 403 00:26:41,550 --> 00:26:46,290 There was one sonogram, and he manipulated it however he wanted. 404 00:26:46,490 --> 00:26:50,510 He would put a different birth mother's name on it, a different testing date on 405 00:26:50,510 --> 00:26:54,890 it, a different hospital date on it, but it was all the same picture. 406 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:01,640 When due dates approach, Cohen invents complications that invariably derail the 407 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:02,640 adoption process. 408 00:27:03,180 --> 00:27:04,180 Something would happen. 409 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:09,080 Either the birth mother changed her mind, the father was now in the picture, 410 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,400 I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, this has never happened to me before. 411 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:15,040 I'm so sorry, we will find you a baby. 412 00:27:16,780 --> 00:27:21,340 Before it is over, he's duped at least 13 families across the country. 413 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,820 At the end, he was kind of just on a mission. 414 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:25,680 Get as much money as possible. 415 00:27:26,940 --> 00:27:31,960 In the fall of 2009, his story threatens to unravel when two disappointed 416 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:35,120 families run out of patience with his broken promises. 417 00:27:35,740 --> 00:27:40,220 He had two clients, one in New York and one in Florida, who were at their wit's 418 00:27:40,220 --> 00:27:44,780 end. They were both threatening to go to the police if he didn't give them back 419 00:27:44,780 --> 00:27:47,400 all the money that they had given him. 420 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,040 One Florida family who paid Cohen $30 ,000. 421 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:55,340 demands he open his books and explain where the money went. 422 00:27:55,980 --> 00:27:59,540 Accused him of trying to steal money from them. He was all apologetic. 423 00:27:59,820 --> 00:28:01,240 Told them it was big misunderstanding. 424 00:28:02,140 --> 00:28:06,420 The couple calls Cohen's bank and learns there's no money in their escrow 425 00:28:06,420 --> 00:28:10,060 account. The Florida couple then called Kevin Cohen and he said, that's 426 00:28:10,060 --> 00:28:14,260 impossible. I'll have the bank manager call you right back. 427 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:19,300 Cohen makes a desperate and bold attempt to throw them off the scent once and 428 00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:20,300 for all. 429 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:24,240 On September 22nd, he calmly walks into his local Bank of America. 430 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:28,660 Shown here on security cameras, he asks to use a phone. 431 00:28:29,140 --> 00:28:34,200 He pretended to be the bank manager, vouched for Kevin Cohen, said he had 432 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:35,680 sufficient funds in his account. 433 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,080 But his plan has a flaw. 434 00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:43,280 When the couple calls back minutes later to ask a question, they learn the 435 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:46,780 manager they think they spoke to is actually out of the country. 436 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:48,760 Furious with Cohen? 437 00:28:49,260 --> 00:28:51,200 The family demands their money back. 438 00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:57,320 He couldn't give them that, so then he literally got in touch with a friend of 439 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:02,100 his and found a couple that were vacationing in Israel that were looking 440 00:29:02,100 --> 00:29:05,680 adopt a child, but he needed the money that day. They had a wire for him, $40 441 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:06,680 ,000. 442 00:29:06,940 --> 00:29:12,380 That $40 ,000, stolen from yet another family, buys Cohen some time. 443 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:17,640 But questions are being asked, and he's scrambling to hide the damage he's done. 444 00:29:18,270 --> 00:29:22,810 That week, he's at Kinko's, running off photocopies, creating packets. 445 00:29:23,090 --> 00:29:25,930 He's impersonating the bank manager. 446 00:29:26,610 --> 00:29:29,390 His house of cards is coming down. 447 00:29:30,450 --> 00:29:35,410 Coming up, the walls are closing in, and Cohen makes a final series of frantic 448 00:29:35,410 --> 00:29:38,630 phone calls to steal more money with empty promises. 449 00:29:39,570 --> 00:29:41,090 You feel violated. 450 00:29:41,430 --> 00:29:43,470 You feel stupid. 451 00:29:43,750 --> 00:29:45,130 It was devastating. 452 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:47,700 I felt like somebody punched me in the stomach. 453 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:53,220 To read more transcripts of Kevin Cohen's psychiatric interview, visit 454 00:29:53,220 --> 00:29:55,620 AmericanGreed .CNBC .com. 455 00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:57,020 We'll be right back. 456 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:08,540 Ben and Bridget Vogt of Long Island have almost forgotten they already have a 457 00:30:08,540 --> 00:30:09,800 history with Kevin Cohen. 458 00:30:10,340 --> 00:30:12,000 In 2006... 459 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:16,240 He represented the guardians of a baby they tried unsuccessfully to adopt. 460 00:30:16,780 --> 00:30:21,100 Kevin Cohen was the attorney for the adoption. And not that anything Kevin 461 00:30:21,180 --> 00:30:24,500 at least not that we're aware of, but the guardian decided to keep the baby 462 00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:25,500 themselves. 463 00:30:26,100 --> 00:30:29,200 For three years, the votes lose touch with Cohen. 464 00:30:29,820 --> 00:30:33,420 They don't know he's been arrested for trying to steal his late father's house 465 00:30:33,420 --> 00:30:36,740 from his trust fund or that he's fallen on hard times. 466 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:38,680 But Cohen remembers them. 467 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,960 I mean, there's no doubt in my mind. He prayed upon us specifically. 468 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,040 Cohen reaches out to them in September 2009. 469 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:53,460 When he called, it was kind of out of the blue. And one asked us if we were 470 00:30:53,460 --> 00:30:57,540 still looking to adopt a child, if that was something that we were even 471 00:30:57,540 --> 00:30:58,540 interested in. 472 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,320 And we were. 473 00:31:00,900 --> 00:31:05,560 He says he knows a Pennsylvania college student named Aaron O'Malley. 474 00:31:05,980 --> 00:31:08,840 who's willing to give up her child for $22 ,500. 475 00:31:09,820 --> 00:31:14,940 He said, I need the money up front right away so I can assure the birth mother 476 00:31:14,940 --> 00:31:17,400 that you're legitimate, you're serious, and you want to go forward with this 477 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:18,400 adoption. 478 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:19,440 Cohen's in a hurry. 479 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,360 Later that day, he shows up at the Vogt's house. 480 00:31:23,340 --> 00:31:28,780 He had Erin O'Malley's medical records showing that she was up to date and she 481 00:31:28,780 --> 00:31:29,519 was healthy. 482 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:33,380 Records from an OBGYN stating that the baby was healthy. 483 00:31:33,740 --> 00:31:34,740 And then the one. 484 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,080 The trump card was. It was the sonogram. 485 00:31:38,460 --> 00:31:39,920 You can see the baby's feet. 486 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:43,640 Little head. 487 00:31:44,140 --> 00:31:47,640 By now, Cohen has run this scam at least 12 times. 488 00:31:47,900 --> 00:31:49,340 He knows the routine. 489 00:31:49,980 --> 00:31:54,500 Everything that he had looked legitimate. The sonogram had the name of 490 00:31:54,500 --> 00:31:58,300 mother on the bottom. It had the date. It had the time. I mean, so it looked 491 00:31:58,300 --> 00:31:59,380 very, very real. 492 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:04,320 Cohen even offers them an out if something goes wrong. 493 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:10,540 He gave us a document stating that any money that we put forward, if an 494 00:32:10,540 --> 00:32:14,560 did not take place, we would be refunded fully by him and or the adoption annex 495 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:15,560 that he was representing. 496 00:32:16,020 --> 00:32:19,860 That night, an excited Cohen calls with more good news. 497 00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:23,860 He said, oh, would you be interested in seeing a picture of Aaron? 498 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:25,940 And I said, of course I would. 499 00:32:26,660 --> 00:32:30,540 Within an hour, he forwarded me a picture of a really pretty girl. 500 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:37,280 The votes quickly find a loan with a 13 .5 % interest rate, but they'd like to 501 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:38,680 shop around for a better deal. 502 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:44,240 Cohen doesn't want to wait, and he offers his own financial twist to keep 503 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:45,240 moving. 504 00:32:45,420 --> 00:32:49,960 He said that the adoption annex would be willing to make up the difference if we 505 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:51,840 could guarantee and sign documents right now. 506 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:56,940 What the votes don't know is that adoption annex has ceased to exist 507 00:32:56,940 --> 00:32:57,940 year earlier. 508 00:32:58,190 --> 00:33:02,050 Their focus is about finally adding a baby to their family. 509 00:33:02,330 --> 00:33:06,390 It was very easy for him to dangle a baby in front of you because you 510 00:33:06,390 --> 00:33:07,670 desperately wanted that child. 511 00:33:09,030 --> 00:33:14,250 There's a lot of hope and there's a lot of yearning involved in wanting a child. 512 00:33:15,090 --> 00:33:20,610 Within two days, the votes have deposited the $22 ,500 into Cohen's Bank 513 00:33:20,610 --> 00:33:21,610 America account. 514 00:33:22,250 --> 00:33:25,210 I got a final call from him saying everything's taken care of, no problem. 515 00:33:25,770 --> 00:33:27,230 We'll talk to you in the next couple days. 516 00:33:27,660 --> 00:33:30,000 And that was the last I've ever had any correspondence with him. 517 00:33:30,220 --> 00:33:35,300 What they also don't know is Cohen is under enormous pressure to steal more 518 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:39,240 money. He could have very easily walked away from this, but in the end it was 519 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:41,100 his greed that got him. 520 00:33:41,380 --> 00:33:46,180 He's currently shopping Aaron O'Malley's alleged medical records to at least two 521 00:33:46,180 --> 00:33:49,900 other families, including Deborah and Milton Josephs. 522 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:54,660 Also on Long Island, the Josephs have been waiting months for Cohen to follow 523 00:33:54,660 --> 00:33:57,840 through on the two separate adoptions he's promised them. 524 00:33:58,220 --> 00:34:03,980 Looking back at that summer, the pieces of the jigsaw just didn't fit into 525 00:34:03,980 --> 00:34:09,679 place. The Josephs have paid Cohen $65 ,000 to facilitate adoptions in 526 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:10,880 Pennsylvania and Nebraska. 527 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:17,320 But Cohen says the Nebraska mother has disappeared, and Aaron in Pennsylvania 528 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:19,260 refusing to sign the adoption paperwork. 529 00:34:20,060 --> 00:34:23,400 I think then our suspicions began to get aroused. You know, what's going on 530 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,139 here? Why is this not working? 531 00:34:25,900 --> 00:34:30,560 Milton calls the Pennsylvania hospital where Erin is supposedly staying. 532 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:32,719 He said, can I speak to Erin O'Malley, please? 533 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,900 They said, we've got no record of any Erin O'Malley here, which I thought was 534 00:34:37,900 --> 00:34:38,900 very strange. 535 00:34:39,300 --> 00:34:43,900 Milton then calls the Nebraska hospital, only to learn there wasn't a pregnant 536 00:34:43,900 --> 00:34:45,100 woman there either. 537 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:51,139 The Josephs take their suspicions to Nassau County Assistant District 538 00:34:51,139 --> 00:34:54,280 Karen Bennett and Chief Investigator Chuck Rabando. 539 00:34:54,780 --> 00:35:00,500 They had a letter from a doctor. They had their retainer agreement, their 540 00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:01,760 attestation of due diligence. 541 00:35:02,220 --> 00:35:06,940 Phone calls to the hospital confirm there is no pregnant Erin O'Malley in 542 00:35:06,940 --> 00:35:07,940 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 543 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,820 So how did Cohen come up with the name of this phantom mother? 544 00:35:12,819 --> 00:35:17,580 Investigators will later learn the name O'Malley has particular and twisted 545 00:35:17,580 --> 00:35:19,440 significance to Kevin Cohen. 546 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:36,540 O'Malley was his real birth mother's name, maiden name. 547 00:35:36,990 --> 00:35:41,410 It was a little bit of a shocker. Up next, investigators find out just how 548 00:35:41,410 --> 00:35:46,630 damage Cohen has created in two years and how much hope he has turned to 549 00:35:47,110 --> 00:35:50,450 It was probably the worst case I've ever investigated, being that it was so 550 00:35:50,450 --> 00:35:53,570 repulsive on how he played on these families' emotions. 551 00:35:54,050 --> 00:35:55,510 I've never seen anything like this before. 552 00:36:03,590 --> 00:36:05,590 Deborah and Milton Josephs. 553 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:10,820 desperate to adopt a child, have given $65 ,000 to attorney Kevin Cohen. 554 00:36:11,060 --> 00:36:14,640 In return, he's given them lies and distractions. 555 00:36:15,220 --> 00:36:19,220 He saw us as a cash cow, I think, and he preyed on our emotions. 556 00:36:19,820 --> 00:36:23,560 Frustrated, they've contacted the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. 557 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:26,700 Cohen's been running his scam for more than two years. 558 00:36:27,140 --> 00:36:31,620 It takes investigators less than nine days to collect enough evidence to 559 00:36:31,620 --> 00:36:34,960 they have a bizarre case of fraud on their hands. 560 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:38,320 We spoke to anyone that we could speak to who knew him. 561 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:43,540 We did a full financial investigation on him. And everyone we spoke to basically 562 00:36:43,540 --> 00:36:44,740 told us the same story. 563 00:36:45,620 --> 00:36:51,220 On September 25, 2009, police arrest Kevin Cohen outside his home. 564 00:36:51,580 --> 00:36:56,780 The day he was arrested, he looked every bit the part that he was playing. 565 00:36:57,620 --> 00:37:03,800 He looked like the Ivy League grad who belonged in the large house in Roslyn. 566 00:37:04,460 --> 00:37:08,720 Search warrants reveal Cohen has every intention to expand his operation. 567 00:37:09,460 --> 00:37:16,420 We found that he had just gone to Kinko's a few days before and made a 568 00:37:16,420 --> 00:37:21,960 stack of color sonograms so that he could give them out to his next victim. 569 00:37:22,500 --> 00:37:27,140 And he acknowledged that the only reason the scam stopped was because he was 570 00:37:27,140 --> 00:37:28,140 arrested. 571 00:37:29,140 --> 00:37:33,940 For Benjamin and Bridget Vogt, it is an abrupt end to a whirlwind week. 572 00:37:34,430 --> 00:37:38,350 Only four days earlier, they gave Cohen more than $22 ,000. 573 00:37:39,070 --> 00:37:42,770 I was angry. I was angry about everything that was going on. How could 574 00:37:42,770 --> 00:37:47,430 come into my home, meet with my family, and steal money from us like that? 575 00:37:47,730 --> 00:37:50,670 Not only the money, but everything emotionally that he stole from me and my 576 00:37:50,670 --> 00:37:51,670 wife. 577 00:37:52,330 --> 00:37:56,750 Michael and Elise Romberg, who have been waiting eight months for a baby, are 578 00:37:56,750 --> 00:37:58,310 stunned to learn of Cohen's betrayal. 579 00:37:58,970 --> 00:38:03,170 It really is incredible that anyone would do this, and, you know, had he 580 00:38:03,170 --> 00:38:05,130 me in the heart, it would have been, let's crawl. 581 00:38:06,130 --> 00:38:11,230 Before it's over, 13 couples come forward claiming they've been scammed by 582 00:38:11,230 --> 00:38:12,710 during the past two years. 583 00:38:13,090 --> 00:38:16,810 All told, he stole nearly $300 ,000. 584 00:38:17,170 --> 00:38:20,490 Literally almost every one of the victims said, I can't even believe that 585 00:38:20,490 --> 00:38:22,830 somebody could be that cruel to do something like this. 586 00:38:23,430 --> 00:38:27,070 Speaking with a court psychiatrist, Cohen defends his actions. 587 00:38:27,660 --> 00:38:29,800 claiming he's simply been misunderstood. 588 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:33,860 It was never a question in my mind to any of these people that I was not going 589 00:38:33,860 --> 00:38:34,738 to give them the money back. 590 00:38:34,740 --> 00:38:39,840 He claims his depression has become bipolar disorder and he is not 591 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:41,140 for his erratic behavior. 592 00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:45,080 It's everyone else's fault that no one diagnosed him properly earlier. 593 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:50,060 Everyone should have seen that he's been mentally ill for a long time and no one 594 00:38:50,060 --> 00:38:53,480 did anything to help him. So poor Kevin, poor Kevin, poor Kevin. 595 00:38:54,090 --> 00:38:58,310 In fact, Cohen seems eager to absolve himself of all blame. 596 00:38:59,010 --> 00:39:03,790 You don't look particularly sad in talking about what you did. 597 00:39:04,110 --> 00:39:06,310 I mean, sometimes, frankly, I've forgiven myself. 598 00:39:06,610 --> 00:39:11,150 The courts are not so forgiving. 599 00:39:11,670 --> 00:39:16,490 Kevin Cohen is soon indicted on 69 counts of larceny, fraud, and forgery. 600 00:39:16,870 --> 00:39:21,450 Cohen, who has never been a trial lawyer, decides to represent himself. 601 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:26,760 As with everything else, Kevin believes that he's smarter than everyone else and 602 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:30,640 decided that no one could represent Kevin Cohen as well as Kevin Cohen. 603 00:39:31,220 --> 00:39:33,980 He faces 92 years in jail. 604 00:39:34,540 --> 00:39:39,420 To this day, I don't believe that Kevin had the mental state to stand trial and 605 00:39:39,420 --> 00:39:40,420 try the case himself. 606 00:39:40,900 --> 00:39:45,200 By the time trial begins, Cohen has undergone a startling transformation. 607 00:39:46,090 --> 00:39:49,530 He no longer looks like the clean -cut suburban lawyer he once was. 608 00:39:49,850 --> 00:39:54,550 Now his hair is long and unkempt, and he goes days without showering. 609 00:39:55,070 --> 00:39:56,650 That's what this jury saw. 610 00:39:57,070 --> 00:40:01,450 They saw a crazy -looking person who was saying, I'm crazy. 611 00:40:02,550 --> 00:40:06,950 To counter Cohen's appearance, prosecutors showed jurors photos of what 612 00:40:06,950 --> 00:40:08,470 looked like only months before. 613 00:40:09,070 --> 00:40:10,630 You could hear a gasp. 614 00:40:11,370 --> 00:40:14,890 And then everyone just looked at the picture and looked at him, looked at the 615 00:40:14,890 --> 00:40:15,890 picture and looked at him. 616 00:40:16,110 --> 00:40:22,050 And they started to get it, that that's the person that all of these people 617 00:40:22,050 --> 00:40:24,390 trusted, not the guy sitting here now. 618 00:40:25,010 --> 00:40:29,890 During trial, he's asked by prosecutors to justify the pain he's caused. 619 00:40:30,330 --> 00:40:35,250 And his response was that he calculated in his mind. 620 00:40:35,630 --> 00:40:39,710 the amount of pain and suffering that his actions would cause them. Then he 621 00:40:39,710 --> 00:40:45,050 rationalized this to himself by saying, but these things happen in adoption all 622 00:40:45,050 --> 00:40:46,670 the time, and they would get over it. 623 00:40:47,450 --> 00:40:49,790 The trial lasts four weeks. 624 00:40:50,210 --> 00:40:54,930 After seven hours of deliberations, the jury returns its verdict. 625 00:40:55,710 --> 00:40:57,350 Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. 626 00:40:58,430 --> 00:41:03,750 It was just a great feeling to hear guilty every single count. 627 00:41:05,130 --> 00:41:09,170 And interestingly, while the former of the jury was reading the guilty verdict, 628 00:41:09,430 --> 00:41:11,650 he couldn't care less. He wasn't paying attention. 629 00:41:13,570 --> 00:41:19,030 On December 7, 2010, Kevin Cohen is sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. 630 00:41:19,510 --> 00:41:24,970 Though broke, he's also ordered to return the $296 ,000 he stole. 631 00:41:25,710 --> 00:41:30,070 Fortunately, the families he scammed are able to take advantage of a New York 632 00:41:30,070 --> 00:41:31,070 lawyer's fund. 633 00:41:31,390 --> 00:41:34,650 that makes partial restitution to victims of attorney fraud. 634 00:41:35,050 --> 00:41:40,670 So the lawyer's fund reimbursed most of the victims only for the amount of money 635 00:41:40,670 --> 00:41:45,050 that they had paid Cohen, not for what they spent on cribs and all of that. 636 00:41:46,010 --> 00:41:48,610 Out of the 65, we got the 60 back. 637 00:41:49,710 --> 00:41:54,930 We were reimbursed simply the amount that we paid directly to him for 638 00:41:54,930 --> 00:41:57,070 or for fees for the mother. 639 00:41:57,790 --> 00:41:59,190 And that is all. 640 00:41:59,790 --> 00:42:03,490 All the other expenses, they're gone. We'll never get those back. 641 00:42:05,010 --> 00:42:10,370 The victims of Kevin Cohen have learned a harsh lesson about greed and that some 642 00:42:10,370 --> 00:42:12,830 thieves steal more than just money. 643 00:42:13,650 --> 00:42:16,410 It was all a scam, and they were devastated. 644 00:42:17,030 --> 00:42:21,950 And he can sit there and say, these things happen, they'll get over it. 645 00:42:21,950 --> 00:42:22,950 not over it. 646 00:42:23,270 --> 00:42:24,990 They don't know how you get over that. 647 00:42:26,830 --> 00:42:28,370 Kevin Cohen is a thief. 648 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,400 A thief of dreams and of money and of hearts. 649 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:34,880 And that's all he'll ever be to me now. 650 00:42:35,380 --> 00:42:40,400 Next American Greed. He wasn't really that good a businessman, but he was a 651 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:44,860 good conman. Living the life on a $3 .5 billion scam. 652 00:42:45,300 --> 00:42:50,000 An all -new American Greed. Scams, scoundrels, and suckers. Next on CNBC. 653 00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:52,480 Business intelligence. 654 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:55,120 CNBC.