A Rutgers University dean was charged Tuesday with secretly filming "upskirt" videos — and the institution that employed him still has him collecting a paycheck on paid leave while the case plays out.
Joshua Kohut, 51, dean of research at Rutgers' School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, is accused of using his mobile phone to record videos of a person's "undergarment-clad intimate parts" without their knowledge, according to New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. Five of Kohut's devices were seized Monday under a search warrant, and the videos were found during a forensic review of one phone, the criminal complaint states. Kohut was charged with fourth-degree invasion of privacy.
"An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act," Davenport said. "We will prosecute accordingly."
Here's the part that should anger every taxpayer and parent: Kohut is on paid administrative leave, Rutgers confirmed to the New York Post. He's also banned from campus pending the investigation — but he's still drawing a salary from a public university.
Kohut has been embedded at Rutgers for roughly 28 years — starting as a graduate student, later becoming a professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, and ascending to dean. The university announced his appointment to the research dean post in January 2025, noting he would be "an active member of the Executive Dean's leadership team." That's nearly three decades of institutional access and authority over students and staff.
The Attorney General's office would not comment on whether Kohut targeted students, though the criminal complaint indicates Kohut and the victim may have known each other in some capacity. The incident occurred in New Brunswick, where one of Rutgers' three regional campuses is located and where the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is housed. Officials are urging any additional victims to come forward.
Rutgers told the Post it placed Kohut on leave after being informed of the "extremely disturbing charges." The word choice is telling — "disturbing" is doing a lot of work for a university system that routinely lectures ordinary Americans about systemic power imbalances and toxic masculinity. When one of their own deans is accused of exploiting that very power dynamic, the consequence is paid vacation.
If convicted, Kohut faces up to 18 months behind bars and a $10,000 fine. He was released on bail. The AG's office is asking potential victims to contact Lt. Jon Norcia at 609-780-5449.
The open question: how many victims are there, and did Rutgers' institutional structure — which handed Kohut increasing authority over nearly three decades — enable this alleged behavior? Paid leave isn't accountability. It's a PR strategy.
