Jewish Frat Leader Charged With Attempted Rape, Arrested On Way To Birthright
A former president of a Jewish fraternity at Temple University in Philadelphia was charged with attempting to commit rape and was arrested at the airport on his way to Israel for a Birthright trip, the Jewish Exponent reported.
Ari Goldstein, 21, was reportedly taken into custody on May 13 at Boston Logan International Airport and also charged with indecent assault, simple assault, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment.
Goldstein is accused of trying to force a 19-year-old woman to perform sex acts as he pinned her down in his bedroom at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house. He allegedly told her to “shush” as she was crying, according to court documents obtained by the Philly Inquirer. She was reportedly able to escape.
Temple suspended the AEPi chapter in April amid the investigation into the alleged sexual assault.
Goldstein’s lawyer Perry de Marco told the Jewish Exponent that Goldstein had asked if he could still go on his planned Israel trip despite the investigation. The attorney advised him to go and told him that these kinds of cases often don’t progress past the initial stages. At the time, there were no open charges against Goldstein.
“He was never trying to flee,” de Marco said. “He was leaving on his lawyer’s advice.”
De Marco added that Goldstein “absolutely, wholeheartedly” denies the allegations and will fight the charges.
Goldstein was reportedly freed on May 17 after posting $200,000 of the $2 million bail. He is due in court on May 31 for a preliminary hearing.
Contact Haley Cohen at hcohen@forward.com
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