This week could go down as one of the best (or most depressing, depending on your perspective) weeks in the history of swimming protection advocates. For the 2nd time this week, a Florida youth aquatics coach has been arrested. The latest is Berkeley Prep School diving coach Jay Goldstein, who is a part-time assistant at the up-scale private school in the Tampa area.
Goldstein was arrested for 100 counts of Possession of Child Pornography, specifically 10 or more images, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department arrest records. He is being held with condition of a total of $750,000 in bonds ($7,500 for each charge). The possession of 10 or more images is significant, as that bumps the charge from a 3rd to a 2nd degree felony, according to State of Florida statutes.
According to local media reports, Goldstein has admitted to the possession. The images are all reported to be of children aged 12 & under, which is to say no current members of the Berkeley Prep swim team.
The Berkeley men’s team placed 39th at Florida’s 1A State Meet in 2011, and the Berkeley women’s team were 28th.
USA Swimming spokesperson Jamie Olsen says that Jay Goldstein is not, and has never been, a member of the organization. USA Diving confirmed that he was last a coaching member in 2005, and is also an athlete member in Masters’ Diving. They had no further comment on the matter as a pending legal matter.
