December 29, 2011 | Online

Gay chatline robber gets 14 years

Elijah Whitney Cohens II will be spending the next 14 years behind bars after being convicted on Tuesday of robbing several men he met through gay chatlines. 

Cohens pretended he was looking for sex. He'd show up and then rob his victims. In two instances, he at least had the decency to fool around a little before stealing from the guys.

In one case, the victim was tied up and lost $5000 in valuables. A second man, who met Cohens at a mall before driving off with him, was forced to withdraw money from an ATM. One victim was threatened with a knife, while another said Cohens used a gun. Four men in total, ranging in age from 20 to 60, pressed charges.

Cohens was eventually tracked down after police matched DNA on a cigarette he had left behind. (His new New Year's resolution is to quit smoking.) Not surprisingly, he had an impressive history of felonies including robbery, forgery, assault and burglary. 

Cohens pleaded guilty in this case. Judge Angel Lopez sentenced him to 150 months and ordered him to pay $7,000 in restitution.

If you can't trust a complete stranger you met online for sex, who can you trust?

Robber who met his victims on chat lines sentenced to more than 14 years in prison [Oregon Live]