Cohen Stays in Jail, Judge Says

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In the continuing saga between Sex.com owner Gary Kremen and the man who once successfully hijacked his domain name, Stephen Cohen found no relief from a judge this afternoon in U.S. District Court and will likely stay in jail for several more weeks.

In a decision that Kremen called a victory, Judge James Ware found no convincing reason to let Cohen out of jail, despite urgings from his lawyer that Cohen is in poor health after suffering several heart attacks in past years.

The judge even declined an offer from Cohen’s lawyer to let him stay at his home.

Cohen, a fugitive in Mexico since 2001 after a judge ordered that he pay Kremen $65 million for usurping the Sex.com domain, was arrested on Oct. 27 by Mexican Federal Police and was then turned over to agents of the U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Marshals Service.

Kremen told XBiz he was surprised by Ware’s decision, based on the fact that this is by far one of the judge’s oldest cases.

“He easily could have let him out,” Kremen said. “But he chose not to, and that’s a good thing for us.”

Kremen added that despite his misgivings towards Cohen after creating a costly cat-and-mouse game for the past five years, Cohen looked “sharp” in his county jumpsuit.

Whether Cohen still has sufficient assets to pay Kremen remains unknown. In October, Kremen was awarded a permanent injunction against Cohen and was able to seize all of his assets in the United States, including mail, cars, credit cards, property, eight bank accounts, email, a leased building on the U.S./Mexico border and a list of around 70 adult and non-adult domain names that Kremen said he intends to sell.

Another hearing is set for Nov. 21 to determine how the case will proceed.

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Pineapple Support Partners with Better Life Science's 'STD Hero'

Pineapple Support has partnered with Better Life Science brand STD Hero.

Brazil Sets Enforcement Timeline for New AV Rules

Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) on Friday published a timeline outlining planned steps for monitoring and enforcing age verification under the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (Digital ECA), which took effect Tuesday.

Utah Governor Signs 'Porn Tax' and VPN Rule Into Law

Governor Spencer Cox on Friday signed into law a bill to tax adult websites and make them liable if minors circumvent geolocation.

BranditScan Launches 'White Glove' Subscription Tier

BranditScan has launched its new White Glove subscription tier for creators.

German Court: Regulator Can't Block Creator's IG Account, Only Posts

A German court has ruled that while a regional media regulatory agency may block specific Instagram posts that include material deemed harmful to minors, it cannot ban an entire Instagram account due to such a post.

Brazil Lays Out Preliminary Guidelines for New AV Requirements

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday signed a decree establishing guidelines for new regulations requiring adult websites to age-verify users located in Brazil.

Senate Committee Debates Section 230 Reform

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing Wednesday on potential changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects interactive computer services — including adult platforms — from liability for user-generated content.

Pearl Industry Network Offers Free Creator Memberships

Industry trade group Pearl Industry Network (PiN) has launched its free creator membership initiative.

Sam Bird Acquires Fanblast

Sam Bird, former co-director of global talent agency Surge, has acquired creator monetization tool Fanblast and named himself CEO.

'SheHerGirls' Launches Through Paysite.com

The braintrust behind PoleVixens has officially launched a new membership site, SheHerGirls, also through Paysite.com.

Show More