Goldstein Faced with New Sexual Assault Charges

Ari Goldstein, the former president of Temple University’s suspended Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) chapter, now faces a new set of sexual assault charges.

Goldstein is charged with rape and involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, among other related charges, stemming from a Nov. 29 incident. These charges are separate from the attempted rape and attempted sexual assault charges that come from a Feb. 25 incident with a different woman.

His bail was set at $1.5 million.

“This arrest shows that the Philadelphia DA’s Office is serious about pursuing charges against individuals who engage in this kind of troubling behavior,” said Benjamin Waxman, director of communications for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. “We look forward to presenting our case in court.”

An affidavit of probable cause states that the complainant, a 21-year-old woman, went to the AEPi fraternity house at approximately 2 a.m. after being invited by Goldstein, with whom she had had a previous sexual relationship.

She went to Goldstein’s room, where the two began to have intercourse, but it became aggressive. The complainant said she asked Goldstein to stop, tried repeatedly to pull away and began to cry. She alleges he also forced her to perform a sex act on him. She eventually was able to push herself away and ran out of the room.

According to the affidavit, Goldstein texted her the next day, stating in part, “Hey I know what happened last [night] was wrong of me. I was really blacked out, but that’s not an excuse for what happened. I’m really sorry and would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. You’re one of my good friends. I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but again I’m just really sorry.”

The affidavit mentions three witnesses, who allege the complainant told them about the incident.

“We will fervently represent Mr. Goldstein in this case,” said Perry de Marco Sr., Goldstein’s defense attorney. “We believe that the evidence will show, in this case, that Goldstein had an intensive sexual relationship with this young lady. On the night that was the subject of this case, she is making an allegation that he did something improper.”