Salt Lake Tribune
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The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake attorney Gregory Preston Cohen was sentenced Monday to probation and 90 days of home confinement for using the Internet to arrange a sexual rendezvous with a police officer who was posing as a 13-year-old girl.
Cohen was arrested in February by agents of the state Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force after he showed up for a face-to-face meeting with the "girl."
Third District Judge Ann Boyden said that because there was no actual victim, she would not impose jail time. But she added that such cases pose special concerns.
"There was not a 13-year-old victim," Boyden said, "but the potential result of this conduct could be very serious."
Cohen, 35, had pleaded guilty as charged to one count of third-degree felony enticing a minor over the Internet. He faced a possible prison sentence of up to five years. Pre-sentence investigators recommended 90 days in jail.
Defense attorney Wally Bugden said Cohen's foray into the world of Internet sex was an aberration.
Arguing against incarceration, Bugden said Cohen was embarrassed, remorseful and accepts "complete, unequivocal responsibility" for his actions. Said Cohen: "I deeply regret what I've done."
Bugden added that a psycho-sexual evaluation showed Cohen to be in the lowest risk category for re-offending. And in a letter to the court, Cohen's former girlfriend claimed their relationship was "normal and loving, not deviant in any way," according to Bugden.
Assistant Utah Attorney General Paul Amann said he agreed with Bugden that putting Cohen behind bars would serve no purpose. "The ramifications to his life are significant enough," Amann told the judge.
Cohen is a 1999 graduate of the University of Utah's law school, and has been a Utah State Bar member since 2000. He is in private practice, specializing in business law. At present, the bar has taken no public disciplinary action.
In addition to home confinement, the judge fined Cohen $850, ordered sex-offender treatment and no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18. She said any access to the Internet must be work-related and approved by Cohen's probation officer.
Cohen's name will be posted on the state Sex Offender Registry for 10 years.