I spoke on the telephone with Stephen Cohen
 

This was just recently. We talked for an hour and a half. Man, that guy's a genius. I wish he'd get back into the adult business (especially if he was someone partnered with me).

It seems weird for me to post about Stephen Cohen since I'm friends with Gary Kremen... but I'm sure even Gary won't argue that Stephen is an intelligent guy.

Co-who? Do I need to know him?

He's the guy who stole sex.com from Gary Kremen and made millions off of it. You don't read the news? Not only was the Kremen vs. Cohen for Sex.com case front page on adult industry newsletters, it was also front page on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and San Francisco Chronicle.

Oh shit! You should get his confidence and then turn him in! Isn't there a reward on his head dead or alive??!!!

What's the price on his head?

don't know, don't care. :glugglug



hehe. yeah, rings a bell.

I don't think he'd ever be stupid enough to fall for such a thing.

Cohen is a con artist. A few years back, just after getting out of prison, he forged a transfer request for sex.com from Gary Kremen. Cohen ran sex.com for several years while it worked its way through the courts. Meanwhile he transferred ownership to a "mutual fund" in the Carribean (i.e. a shell corporation for himself), who ran the site out of a Cohen's data center in Mexico. It's been rumored that he shuttled most of the traffic to a crook who ran CC scams for several years (standard uncancelable "free trial" stuff), and combined they made several hundred million dollars. A court ruling in 2001 returned sex.com to Kremen, and awarded him $65 million in damages, which remains unpaid. Kremen got Cohen's $4 million California house, but Cohen and his loot are in hiding. In high style, no doubt. Last I heard, Kremen offered $50k for info on finding him...seems cheap all things considered, but it's something.

Wabbit season!

He found him long ago. I believe the two of them have even talked on the phone. I doubt if Stephen's whereabouts are worth much to Gary anymore. That information would be pretty useless, don't you think? What could he possibly do to him?

Didnt Cohen film his 9 year old daughter taking showers and sale it?

Woah! I never heard that one. I seriously doubt it's true. I'm not trying to stick up for anyone, but I just don't think that's an accurate rumor.

Actually I think thats true and If Im not mistaken I think Gary said that when he moved in there was holes in one of the rooms were hidden cameras were.

so tell us what Cohen had to say. a mind like Cohen's just doesn't go to sleep.

There was an arrest warrant issued, for contempt of court. He could theoretically be held indefinitely until he coughed up some dough. He was transferring cash all over the place when he was supposed to be depositing it into a court-held escrow account. This was all as of 2001 though, and I don't know what's transpired in the meantime.

I don't believe the daughter story either...it would have been all over the news, and there's no mention in Google. It also doesn't make any sense, a multimultimillionaire selling such stuff. I don't even recall hearing of his having a daughter, although I'm not sure one way or the other on that.

He had a lot to say, believe me. An hour and a half flew by quickly. If a person could afford to hire him as a consultant they'd make a lot of money. Most of the stuff that was said I promised not to repeat.

But the man is definitely a genius.

"It also doesn't make any sense, a multimultimillionaire selling such stuff."

You can't equate money with peoples' motifs, especially people with the reputation of this guy.

That said, I think the rumors are false myself. They would have, and would be, trying harder to bring him in.

He's a genius?

He screwed tens of thousands out of money while everyone in the world was watching this court case. The adult industry may never recover from the damage he did.

Anyone can screw surfers, and if I had sex.com I'm sure I could the same - and make just as much money. He isn't a fucking genius, he's a common criminal.

I've never met Gary Kremen but he got screwed.

Is he in the states? Is the 50K offer still valid?

Hang with multimillionaires and you may find people behave differently when they can order police and city counsel members around like dogs on a leash.

you do realize their is a hefty price on his head, don't ya?

He has a PhD in ?

Genius, as in "Dr Evil" genius?


Yes, I'd say so.



The word "Bastard" comes to mind as well when I think of this guy. Is there such a thing as an "evil genius bastard?"

cohen is a fucking crook, period...

If he gives me a million dollars I will tone down my accusation to "thief". :thumbsup

Seems like a trait lots of so-called entrepreneurs have.

Last I heard Cohen was hiding down in Mexico.

I've spoken with Gary before and I think he's really thrilled he got his domain back more than anything and beat that cocksucker Cohen in court. Gary's made millions from his other businesses, besides just Sex.com. He also made a nice hit selling Match.com for $8 Mil.

Krl,

Cohen has always been a cock sucker, plain and simple.

He is no genius at all, everything he said was mostly always fraud, law degree, etc, etc.

I remember in 97 when I got sexx.com, that fucker called me, threatened the latham act on me if I ever put up a site, etc. I put up a site, my server on a t-1 line couldn't even handle it :)

Sold it the next year.


todd

A common criminal? He's no genius, but you're not giving the man his due. He screwed *hundreds* of thousands out of money, made a complete mockery of the legal system from beginning to end, and got away with it! Over a million other criminals were released from US prisons that year, and none of them had the vision to hijack sex.com. And not everyone can screw surfers that extremely...I'm sure you could, as you run a successful legit biz, but it still takes some skill. He also thwarted the legal system in many different areas, which let him run the biz several more years than should have been possible. He lied in just the right ways, played corporate shell games, laundered money perfectly...an amateur criminal would never have pulled off all these different aspects of his heist.

Try to think of another out-and-out criminal who made that much money while living in the United States in the last couple decades and got away with it. Third world countries have lots of rich, successful despots, but for domestic US crime, ripping people off while dodging US laws, he was a master. The closest I can think of is Kenneth Lay, who with a couple partners defrauded people out of $100 *BILLION*, in part through well-placed legal bribes of over $100 million, but now he's fighting off personal bankruptcy. He's exploited loopholes to keep some money (sank a lot of money into his Texas mansion, and into a life insurance annuity, both of which can't be touched by bankruptcy), so I still consider him a successful career criminal, but his net worth is probably around $50 million now.

I remember those days on YNOT when he was going after every domain owner who had the word sex in it and was bullshiting everyone that Gary was the crook and had stolen Sex.com from him.

What a joke he turned out to be.

Yep Krl,

I can remember clearly those great ynot days :)

He even had me convinced for a "minute" that it was Gary playing the games. but then I sat back, checked out what facts were out there and thought, why would this smart biz man, who ran and sold several internet properties keep trying to get sex.com back, saying it's his and was stolen if he didn't have any merit at all to his case. Cohen treated everyone like shit. Sure he got away with lots of money, and can live in mexico forever, but Gary got back what was his.

Erm, I hate to remind those of you that remember it, but apparently some aren't aware of it, Cohen's genius with sex.com lies in the fact that he didn't run it himself.

He got someone who knew what they were doing to run it and took his % off the deal.

What's so smart in that?

Kimmy,

Sure other ppl helped run it, Jordan secured ads, etc.

I hate even talking about cohen, he is such a piece of shit :(

Happy Easter Btw to you and yours :)

Todd

I don't know if it would be worth all that money to never be able to come home again. I wouldn't mind traveling the world but I would want to be able to come home to the states.

I agree, and it's unfortunate when newbies put him up on a pedestal as if he were something other than what he is.

Happy holidays to you guys as well, I trust the family is all home :)

he's a common thief, didn't have the sense to expand his empire into something sustainable with the revenue he got from his jacked domain. How smart do you have to be to forge a letter to Netsol?

Geniuses don't go to prison in the first place.

Donovan -- Do you know how many webmasters think they have spoken to Stephen Cohen? Hundreds! Cohen is like Saddam. He has many doubles. Why should we believe you, especially when you think he is a genius. Cohen is a crook, a thief, a lying-stealing con-artist.

The next time you come to the boards with a Cohen story, I suggest you also bring the tape of your conversation.