Film Academy Member Jeffrey Cooper Gets 8 Years in Prison for Child Molestation

Jeremy Fuster
·2 min read

Jeffrey Cooper, a sound mixing studio architect and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted this past May on three counts of child molestation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said Monday. He must also register as a sex offender.

Cooper had been arrested in 2018 after he was accused of committing lewd acts with two underage girls on separate occasions, one between 2005 and 2007 and the other between 2012 and 2016. The three convicted counts stemmed from the abuse that took place in the mid-2000s, while the other five counts were ruled as a mistrial.

The accuser, now 28, recounted during the trial how Cooper had befriended her and shared her interest in music and theater before molesting her in his basement recording studio when she was 12 or 13 in 2006.

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“Over a decade later, this still haunts me,” she testified. “I should feel empowered but I feel gross. I really try not to think about it. It really knocks me off my feet.”

Cooper has designed theaters and postproduction space for multiple studios and organizations in Hollywood, including a 600-seat theater for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Emmys, as well as Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. During the trial, the Academy said in a statement to TheWrap that it “has been made aware of the alleged abhorrent behavior and will address this matter according to our Standards of Conduct and the due process requirements under California nonprofit corporation law.”

Sources tell TheWrap that the Academy board is expected to meet in early August to determine disciplinary action against Cooper. The Academy has expelled members in the past over sexual abuse charges, most notably disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017 along with Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski in 2018.

“Children are the most vulnerable members of our community. Mr. Cooper abused his position of trust and caused incredible harm to helpless victims,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement “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.”