Who is Jeffrey Cooper? Film Academy member gets 8 years in prison for molesting a child
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Film Academy member Jeffrey Cooper was sentenced to eight years in a California state prison on Monday, July 25, for molesting a young girl in his home several times. Cooper was found guilty of sexually assaulting the minor in 2005 and 2007 when she was between 12 and 13 years of age, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officials said. Cooper will be required to get registered as a sex offender. The trial took place four years after Cooper was arrested and pleaded not guilty.
Cooper, who is in his 70s, was an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member since 2002 and is well known for designing movie theaters and studios for directors including George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg. He was initially indicted on eight counts, involving two children.
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“Children are the most vulnerable members of our community,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement, according to New York Post. “Mr Cooper abused his position of trust and caused incredible harm to helpless victims. I know that nothing can undo the trauma that they have endured, but I hope the victims find peace and healing now that this criminal process is complete,” he added.
In May, jurors found Cooper guilty of three felony counts of lewd act upon a child. One of his victims reportedly testified during his trial that she considered Cooper a “mentor” who taught her how to play guitar. She said Cooper molested her in his private basement studio.
However, jurors did not agree on a verdict related to the other five counts involving another alleged victim of Cooper. The judge, in the second case, declared a mistrial on the charges. The two accusers are now 16 and 28 years old. During his opening statement, Cooper’s attorney, Alan Jackson, said that the allegations were false. He insisted that Cooper was targeted because of his wealth and status.
Before being sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys, an attorney representing Cooper’s two accusers and their families filed a civil suit against Cooper “personal injuries and damages arising out of childhood sexual abuse” in Los Angeles Superior Court, Los Angeles Times reported.
The suit, filed by David Ring, also named Calabasas Shul, a synagogue founded by Cooper in Calabasas in 1994. Cooper served as the president of its board. The suit alleged that the synagogue, which operated out of a residential owned by Cooper, paid the architect and held “religious events and gatherings at Cooper’s house and other locations.”
As per the lawsuit, Cooper “took advantage of his position of authority and trust as the president of the board of directors and founder of the Shul to engage in unlawful sexual abuse and other harmful misconduct with Plaintiffs.”
“The two victims and their families are relieved the criminal process is finally over, after four long and brutal years. They can now pursue a civil case against Cooper and the Shul with the goal of holding all those responsible fully accountable in the civil courts,” Ring said.
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.