Former Temple AEPi president to be tried on sexual assault-related charges

One charge for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse was dismissed at a one-hour hearing.

Ari Goldstein, the former president of Temple's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, listens to his attorney speak to press after a preliminary hearing for sexual assault charges against him on July 19, 2018. | LINDSAY BOWEN / FILE PHOTO

UPDATE at 3:04 p.m. on July 19

Ari Goldstein, the former president of Temple University’s chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, will stand trial for seven sexual assault-related charges, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Philadelphia Municipal Court Senior Judge Lydia Kirkland upheld the charges against the senior of indecent assault, simple assault, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, attempted rape, intimidation of a witness and attempted sexual assault. He will be arraigned on Aug. 2.

One charge, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, was dismissed after the judge heard arguments from Perry DeMarco, Goldstein’s defense attorney, and the commonwealth.

More than 20 of Goldstein’s close friends and family were present for the hearing.

Kirkland allowed the prosecution to call the alleged victim, who is a female Temple student.

The woman testified that on Feb. 25, Goldstein allegedly assaulted her in his third-floor bedroom in the fraternity house during a party.

Goldstein and the woman met behind the DJ booth on the first floor of the house, where Goldstein approached her and asked her to smoke marijuana in his bedroom with him and his friends, she told the court.

When she entered Goldstein’s bedroom, he locked the door behind her and grabbed her by the wrists.

She alleged that he pinned her to a couch and kneeled on her left thigh while he forcibly kissed her lips, neck and breasts. He also attempted to force her to perform oral sex on him, she testified.

“He kept saying, ‘You want to do this. Come on, this is what you want to do,’” she said, recalling the assault.

After the alleged assault, the woman said she had a bruise on her left thigh for two weeks. She never photographed the bruise.

“I felt scared, because this isn’t what I went upstairs to do,” she added.

During the 30-minute assault, the woman continuously resisted his sexual advances and attempted to escape. She said Goldstein would stop for short periods of time, but would not let her leave the room.

The woman was able to escape the room and said she ran down the stairs and left the fraternity house. Goldstein told her to not tell anyone about the incident, she said.

Spokespeople from AEPi’s national headquarters and Temple declined to comment.

“When [Goldstein] testifies at the trial, he’s going to give you the truth because he has nothing to hide because he did nothing wrong, there was no crime done,” DeMarco said to press outside of the courthouse following the hearing.

“This is #MeToo gone wild,” he added, with a lit cigar in hand. “I got evidence that will make you do somersaults.”

The woman did not have direct contact with Goldstein in the months following the alleged assault.

She reported the incident in April, two months after the alleged assault. The Temple News reported the university launched an investigation on March 30, Philadelphia Police began investigating the fraternity on April 17. 

Temple suspended the fraternity on April 20 following the investigations.

Goldstein was arrested on May 15 and posted 10 percent of his $2 million bail two days later.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include details about Ari Goldstein’s defense attorney, Perry DeMarco.

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