Evergreen Reporter

Jerome S. Goldstein, a 78-year-old resident of Long Beach, New York, has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. This sentence follows his guilty plea.

The court was presented with evidence from an undercover investigation conducted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) in late 2022. As part of this operation, an officer posed as a 13-year-old girl on a social messaging app.

From November 28, 2022, to February 15, 2023, Goldstein communicated online with the undercover officer. During these interactions, he requested sexual acts and child sexual abuse material from the supposed minor and stated his intention to travel from New York to South Carolina for sexual activities.

On February 15, 2023, Goldstein traveled from Long Beach to Goose Creek, South Carolina. Upon arrival, he was met by law enforcement officers and arrested. He confessed that his trip aimed at engaging in illicit sexual conduct with the girl and had planned to take her to a hotel room he reserved.

United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Goldstein to 46 months in prison followed by lifetime court-ordered supervision. The federal system does not allow parole.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative combines resources from various levels of government to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.

The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI Columbia field office, Homeland Security Investigations, Goose Creek Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, among others. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean H. Secor is handling the prosecution.