Film academy member and prominent Calabasas resident Jeffrey Cooper was found guilty of three counts of child molestation yesterday at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Cooper was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of multiple counts of child molestation occurring between 2006 to 2016. He was initially released on a bond of $5 million before being deemed a flight risk and being held in jail without bond.
Cooper will face sentencing in June where he could face up to 12 years in prison.
Yahoo News Reports–
“A jury on Friday found Hollywood architect and film academy member Jeffrey Cooper guilty of three counts of child molestation.
The two-week criminal trial began May 9 at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys, four years after Cooper was arrested and a grand jury indicted him on eight counts involving two children. Cooper, a resident of Calabasas, pleaded not guilty.
The jury convicted him on three felony charges of a lewd act on a child involving one of his accusers.
Jurors, however, were unable to render a verdict on five counts against Cooper involving the other accuser. Judge Alan Schneider declared a mistrial on those charges.
Sentencing was set for June 1. Cooper could face up to 12 years in prison.”
The Film Academy has a history of problems with sexual assault and harassment among its members. In 2018, Film Academy President John Bailey was investigated for sexual harassment. He was later cleared by the Academy.
Prominent Film Academy member Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 on one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of rape. The accusations against him were the catalyst for the #MeToo movement.
Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski both remained members of the film academy until 2018. Cosby was convicted of sexual assault but later cleared after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated his conviction due to a violation of his constitutional rights.
Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sex acts with a minor in 1977 and was not removed from the Film Academy until 41 years later.
