Case of Robert Goldman

Case of Robert Goldman

(AKA: Rob Goldman)

CONVICTION OVERTURNED

Sportscaster / Sports Director - CLTV, Aurora, IL

Sportscater / Sports Director - WGN-AM Radio, Chicago, IL

May, 2005, Robert Goldman was convicted  a jury of felony indecent solicitation of a minor. After his arrest, he was fired by both CLTV and WGN-AM radio, where he had served as weekend host of "Sports Central."

On June 3, 2008 - Goldman's conviction was overturned by an Illinois appellate Court.  

Goldman was originally arrested on April 6, 2002, after driving from Chicago to Waukegan, where authorities say he had arranged to have sex with a hearing-impaired girl, 15, with whom he had been exchanging e- mails and text messages for months.

Goldman actually had been communicating with an undercover investigator patrolling the Internet.  Goldman was ordered to avoid contact with children under 18 - - except his daughters -- without approval, and avoid the Internet.

NOTE: There are several people who go by the name Rob and Robert Goldman.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents:

2004

1. TV, radio sports reporter arrested in sex sting  (04/09/2002)
2. Frustrated judge OKs delay in ex-sportscaster's sex trial (07/01/2005)
3. Trial put off for ex-CLTV broadcaster (09/21/2004)

2005

1. Lawyer in solicitation trial suggests entrapment (05/05/2005)
2. Investigator played role of deaf teen  (05/06/2005)
3. Ex-CLTV anchor found guilty of soliciting child over Internet  (05/13/2005)
4. Disgraced Sports Anchor Speaks Out  (05/24/2005)
5. Disgraced Former Sports Anchor Speaks Out - Man Accused Of Soliciting Online Sex From 15-Year-Old Girl (05/25/2005)
6. Sports Broadcaster Plans Free Speech Defense - faces five for soliciting "minor" on the Internet  (05/28/2005)
7. Judge yet to rule on dispute over CLTV tape (06/17/2005)
8. Judge upholds conviction of former sportscaster  (06/17/2005)
9. Former Sportscaster Gets Probation For Soliciting Minor  (09/20/2005)
10. Ex-CLTV anchor gets probation for soliciting child online  (09/21/2005)
11. Former Sportscaster Fights Sex Offender Label  (11/02/2005)
12. Ex-Broadcaster Wants off Sex Offender List (11/02/2005)
13. Police: Former Sportscaster Violated Probation On Halloween  (11/04/2005)
14. CLTV director in trouble for handing out candy  (11/05/2005)
15. Ex-Sportscaster Back In Police Custody (11/08/2005)
16. Ex-sportscaster accused of violating probation  (11/09/2005)
17. Ex-sportscaster ordered to jail  (11/09/2005)
18. Goldman jailed after handing out treats (11/09/2005)
19. Officials: Former Sportscaster Violated Candy Law  (11/09/2005)
20. Ex-Sportscaster's Probation Revoked  (11/09/2005)
21. Former Sportscaster Free Again  (11/21/2005)

2006

1. Boo!  (01/13/2006)
2. Many sex offenders restricted tonight (10/30/2006)

2008

1. Former CLTV broadcaster's conviction overturned  (06/03/2008)

_________________________________________________________________________________

TV, radio sports reporter arrested in sex sting
The Beacon News - April 9, 2002

WAUKEGAN -- A Chicago television sports anchor and radio reporter was arrested in Waukegan over the weekend, charged with soliciting sex from an undercover police officer posing as a teen-age girl on the Internet. The arrest was part of a sting that took over a year to complete, authorities said.

Robert Goldman, 40, of the 1200 block of Candlewood Court, Aurora, an anchor for ChicagoLand Television (CLTV) cable station, was charged with felony solicitation of a minor, a class 3 felony, said Patricia Fix, head of the Lake County state's attorney's cyber crime unit.

Goldman is also a sports reporter for WGN Radio.

"It's a probational offense, but he could also get . . .

_________________________________________________________________________________

Frustrated judge OKs delay in ex-sportscaster's sex trial
By M. Daniel Gibbard
Chicago Tribune - July 1, 2004

Declaring that it would be the final delay, a Lake County judge on Wednesday continued until September the case of former television sportscaster Robert Goldman, accused of trying to meet a 15-year-old girl online for sex more than two years ago.

"We're done with motions," said Circuit Judge Mary Schostok. "There will be no more continuances."

Goldman's lawyers say he was entrapped by an undercover Lake County investigator who pretended to be a teenager. They also say he did not intend to follow through on the alleged plans for sex.

At the time of his arrest in April 2002 in Waukegan, Goldman, 42, was sports director for CLTV and did weekend work for WGN radio, which are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

Goldman was later fired.

On Monday, Schostok became irate when defense attorney Stephen Komie asked for a continuance in the case, which has been postponed a dozen times. She also decried the large number of motions the defense has filed.

At a court hearing Wednesday in Waukegan, she tried to reassure Goldman that despite her sharp words, he will get a fair trial.

Addressing Goldman directly, she said, "At no time would I ever hold my frustrations against you."

At the time of his arrest, Goldman lived in Aurora.

Outside the courtroom, Komie said it was in Goldman's best interest to get the trial over with as soon as possible because he has not been able to work since the arrest. Komie said he had to ask for a continuance because a key witness is out of the country this week.

Schostok rescheduled the trial for Sept. 20 and set a July 23 cutoff for further motions.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Trial put off for ex-CLTV broadcaster
By Barbara Bell 
Chicago Tribune - September 21, 2004

The trial of a former CLTV sports director charged with indecent solicitation of a child was postponed indefinitely Monday.

Robert Goldman, 42, of the 1200 block of Candlewood Court in Aurora, was arrested in April 2002 in Waukegan after he arranged over the Internet to meet a 15-year-old girl who was really an undercover police officer, authorities said.

Goldman was scheduled to go on trial Monday in Lake County, but one of his attorneys, Mark Belokon, asked that it be postponed because Belokon recently had surgery and said he can't work more than three hours a day in a courtroom.

It was the 16th time Goldman's attorneys asked for a continuance, officials said.

Assistant State's Atty. Patricia Fix told Circuit Judge Mary Schostok that she strenuously objected to postponing the trial.

Goldman, who also is represented by Stephen Komie, said he wanted Belokon at his trial.

"I don't know how you predict someone getting sick," Goldman said.

Fix said Belokon had not filed paperwork with the court declaring that he was Goldman's attorney until Monday, even though the charges were filed more than two years ago.

"It's odd to me," Schostok said. "All of a sudden, this comes up. I do find it a little bit fishy."

But Schostok said she was forced to postpone the trial.

"I can't deprive him of his right to counsel," she said.

Goldman's next court date is Jan. 20.

Before he was fired, Goldman also did weekend work at WGN-AM 720. CLTV and WGN are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Lawyer in solicitation trial suggests

By M. Daniel Gibbard

Chicago Tribune - May 5, 2005

More than three years after he was arrested, former CLTV and WGN Radio sports personality Robert Goldman went on trial Wednesday with prosecutors saying he sought sex with someone he believed was an underage girl he met online.

In his opening statement in the Waukegan courthouse, Goldman's lawyer implied that his client was entrapped and accused Pleasant of targeting Goldman because he was a TV and radio celebrity.

Jurors were warned that some of the evidence would be graphic. And Assistant State's Atty. Patricia Fix pulled few punches in her opening statement, reading excerpts about oral sex and other sex acts from electronic messages sent by RGoldy411--Goldman, the state says--to KristyM1585, the America Online screen name Pleasant was using.

The Internet communications, which included chat rooms, instant messages, e-mail and pictures, began in January 2001 and lasted until just before the arrest on April 6, 2002, Fix said.

For the girl's photo, investigators used a picture of a female detective taken when she was 14, Fix said.

Finally, he said Goldman drove past the apartment building where he was supposed to meet the girl on April 6, 2002, and pulled into a parking lot. Goldman was arrested before he got out of his car, so there was no proof he intended to go through with a meeting, Komie said.

The trial was postponed 17 times before it got under way Monday before Judge Fred Foreman.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Investigator played role of deaf teen
Chicago Tribune - May 6, 2005

By Barbara Bell

An investigator pretended to be a deaf teenage girl as an excuse not to talk to former sports broadcaster Robert Goldman, who is accused of trying to meet the teen for sex, according to court testimony Thursday.

Goldman, 44, is on trial in Lake County Circuit Court on charges of indecent solicitation of a minor. Prosecutors allege that he drove to Waukegan in April 2002 to meet someone he thought was a 16-year-old girl after talking with her over the Internet for months.

State's Atty. Patricia Fix asked Mark Pleasant, the investigator for the Lake County state's attorney's office, why he developed the online identity of a deaf teenager who was home-schooled.

"It allows KristiM to be available all the time," said Pleasant, whose America Online screen name was KristiM1585. He testified he pretended to be 15 at the start of the conversations with Goldman in January 2001.

Goldman, of the 1200 block of Candlewood Court in Aurora, was sports director at CLTV and a sports announcer at WGN-AM 720, both owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune. He was fired shortly after his arrest in April 2002.

Goldman's attorney, Stephen Komie, said in opening statements Wednesday that police zeroed in on Goldman because he was well-known.

Posing online as the girl, Pleasant said the teen didn't have a license and couldn't drive when Goldman first suggested they meet in early 2001, the investigator testified.

Using Kristi's online name, Pleasant informed Goldman months later that the girl would meet him on Aug. 17, 2001, at the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee, he said.

The girl told Goldman she had turned 16 and had her driver's license, he said.

When Pleasant and other police officers were unable to find Goldman, Pleasant signed on to the Internet, again pretending to be Kristi, and asked why Goldman hadn't shown up.

In an e-mail, Goldman said he was there for 30 minutes but gave up, Pleasant said.

According to a transcript that Pleasant read of his alleged Internet conversations with Goldman, the two corresponded again about a week later. Goldman said he was worried about what would happen if he was caught with Kristi, Pleasant said.

"If you were 18 that would be different," he said in an e-mail, according to the transcript.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-CLTV anchor found guilty of soliciting child over Internet

By Art Peterson

Chicago Sun-Times - May 13, 2005

Former Chicago television sportscaster Robert Goldman faces up to five years in prison after being convicted of indecent solicitation of a child over the Internet.

Goldman, 44, of Aurora, was found guilty of the Internet solicitation of a person he thought was a teenage girl named "Christy." In fact, he was caught in a sting operation of the Lake County state's attorney's office.

A circuit court jury of eight women and four men deliberated for nearly six hours Wednesday evening before the verdict in Judge Fred Foreman's courtroom.

Defense attorneys Stephen Komie and Mark Belokon contend that Goldman, who did not testify, believed that "Christy" was 17 and therefore an adult.

At his June 16 sentencing, Goldman could face probation to two to five years in prison.

Goldman was a sports anchor for CLTV cable television and a sports reporter for WGN radio.

Komie emphasized that the Internet communications were initiated by "Christy" -- actually Lake County state's attorney's investigator Mark Pleasant posing as a teenage girl. The e-mails had started in January 2001 and continued for more than a year.

But prosecutor Patricia Fix said that nine days before the 2002 meeting Goldman sent "Christy" a message: "I wish I could verify that you are a young teen, and not a cop. I read about cops on the Internet setting up guys all the time."

Goldman drove to a parking lot on Waukegan's northwest side to meet "Christy" and was arrested.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Disgraced Sports Anchor Speaks Out

NBC5 News - May 24, 2005

CHICAGO -- A former Chicago sports anchor who was busted for trying to solicit an underage girl over the Internet will speak publicly Tuesday for the first time since his conviction.

Rob Goldman was convicted of the crime earlier this month.

In an exclusive interview Tuesday on "NBC5 News at 10 p.m.," hear what Goldman told Don Lemon about his ordeal.

You'll also hear from Goldman's wife, who has stuck by his side throughout the case.

MP3 Audio:  Don Lemon Talks About Exclusive Interview

_________________________________________________________________________________

Disgraced Former Sports Anchor Speaks Out

Man Accused Of Soliciting Online Sex From 15-Year-Old Girl

NBC-5 News - May 25, 2005

UPDATED: November 2, 2005

CHICAGO -- A former Chicago sports anchor who was busted for trying to solicit an underage girl over the Internet spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time since his conviction.

Rob Goldman was convicted of the crime earlier this month.

In an exclusive interview with Don Lemon, Goldman said he is haunted by the incident and what he's done to his family and his promising career as a sports anchor with CLTV.

"I'm embarrassed. I'm ashamed, scared -- definitely scared. Sad. All the time ... sad," Goldman said.

On April 6, 2002, Goldman was arrested for trying to solicit sex from a 15-year-old girl he met online who turned out to be a Lake County investigator. He was arrested at a Waukegan apartment complex where the rendezvous was supposed to take place.

"I was hysterical. I think even the investigators will tell you that much. I think they even put me on a suicide watch I was so out of my mind," Goldman said.

"It's a night I replay in my mind over and over, and I remember every little detail right down to the clothes I was wearing," Goldman said. "When they told me what I was going to be charged with, I knew my career was over then."

Goldman's wife, Amy, was seven months pregnant at the time. She posted his bail and arranged for his defense.

Lemon: Why are you still here?

Amy Goldman: Because I love my husband. I love my family.

Lemon: How would you feel if a grown man was talking to your daughter on the Internet, sexual content and then met them?

Amy Goldman: I'd be furious. I'd be furious.

Lemon: But you're not furious with your husband?

Amy Goldman: (shakes her head no)

Amy Goldman said she knew her husband spent a lot of time chatting online and had even caught him writing about sex, but she justified the activity as only fantasy, Lemon reported.

Court records detail Rob Goldman's explicit conversations under the online handle 

RGOLDY411:

RGOLDY411: Would you want to touch each other?

RGOLDY411: Wish there was a way I could be certain you were a young teen girl.

RGOLDY411: I'd like to undress you out of those jeans and sweatshirt.

"I admit I talk dirty on the computer. I'm guilty of that. It's not something I'm proud of. Maybe people will look at it and think it's disturbing. It shouldn't be illegal to talk dirty on the computer," Rob Goldman said.

But prosecutors said Rob Goldman kept trying to arrange meetings for more than a year with the investigator posing as a 15-year-old girl.

Regarding a proposed meeting on Aug. 23, 2001, RGOLDY411 wrote "U getting in trouble and me getting in trouble are a little different, wouldn't you agree? You'd probably get grounded. I'd go to jail."

But Goldman said he never believed the girl was 15, and that it was only Internet role playing with someone he assumed was an adult.

The jury disagreed, and found him guilty of six counts of solicitation, Lemon reported.

Goldman told Lemon that he never had an inclination to have sex with an underage person.

"I spent my entire life in this biz working around underage kids. I never once said anything inappropriate to an underage kid, much less thought about it," Rob Goldman said.

No longer the breadwinner in his home, Rob Goldman is now the caregiver, from cooking meals to walking his 6-year-old child to the bus stop.

But he worries that he won't be able to take his kids to activities if he's forced to register as a sex offender after he's sentenced on July 16.

"It is a scarlet letter," Rob Goldman said. "I can't think of anything worse to be labeled right now in the 21st century, in this day and age, in this country, than a sex offender," Rob Goldman said.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sports Broadcaster Plans Free Speech Defense

faces five for soliciting "minor" on the Internet

Chicago Tribune - May 28, 2005

Chicago- A television interview this week with former sportscaster Robert Goldman could be used when he is sentenced for indecent solicitation of a minor, a prosecutor said Friday.

"From the parts I saw on TV, I think it is relevant at sentencing because it certainly shows the lack of responsibility that he's taking for his actions," Lake County State's Atty. Michael Waller said of the interview, which aired on WMAQ-Ch. 5.

Prosecutors plan to review the tape, and if they believe it has a bearing on sentencing, "we'll play it for the judge," Waller said.

Goldman faces up to 5 years in prison for his May 11 conviction on charges that he arranged to meet and have sex with an undercover investigator who had been posing as a 16-year-old girl in an Internet chat room. No date has been set for sentencing.

Lake County prosecutors subpoenaed the television station for the taped interview, Waller said.

In the interview, Goldman, whose e-mail moniker was RGOLD411, admitted he liked to "talk dirty" on the Internet but said he thought he was exchanging e-mail messages with an adult.

Frank Whittaker, vice president of news for the television station, said WMAQ's attorneys would review the subpoena before deciding whether to hand over the tape.

"We'll determine what's appropriate," Whittaker said.

Goldman, 44, of the 1200 block of Candlewood Court, Aurora, was fired as a broadcast sports personality for the CLTV cable news operation and WGN-AM 720 after his April 2002 arrest. CLTV and WGN are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

Goldman was arrested after he arranged a meeting at a Waukegan apartment complex following 15 months of e-mail conversations, prosecutors said.

Goldman's attorney, Stephen Komie, plans to appeal on 1st Amendment grounds.

"He's been convicted of speaking on the Internet, without committing a criminal act," Komie said Friday.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Judge yet to rule on dispute over CLTV tape

By Dan Rozek

Chicago Sun Times - June 17, 2005

A Lake County judge deferred a decision Thursday on whether a Chicago television station must turn over to prosecutors a videotaped interview with former CLTV sports director Robert Goldman conducted after he was convicted of using the Internet to solicit sex.

Lake County prosecutors have subpoenaed the May 24 WMAQ-Channel 5 interview with Goldman in an attempt to use it when he is sentenced later this year for arranging a sexual rendezvous with an undercover cop posing as a 15-year-old girl.

Sought sex with minor

Goldman, 44, of Aurora, was convicted in May of indecent solicitation of a child for using the Internet to arrange a sexual encounter with the undercover decoy.

He was arrested April 6, 2002, when he arrived in Waukegan to meet the fictitious teen. Goldman was then fired from CLTV.

Prosecutors want the videotaped interview because they have said it indicates Goldman's lack of remorse for the offense, which carries a five-year prison term.

Channel 5 filed a request that Judge Fred Foreman dismiss the subpoena, a request that Goldman's attorney says he backs.

Stephen Komie - Attorney

"We're joining that motion,'' said attorney Stephen Komie.

Foreman delayed a ruling on the request, however, setting an Aug. 17 hearing date.

Komie on Thursday failed to persuade Foreman to set aside Goldman's guilty verdict, arguing jurors erred in convicting the ex-cable TV sports personality.

Goldman took no illegal actions and believed the person he was corresponding with online was of legal age, Komie said. He argued such Internet discussions are protected by constitutional guarantees.

During the Channel 5 interview, Goldman denied soliciting sex from an underage individual.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Judge upholds conviction of former sportscaster

Chicago Tribune - June 17, 2005

Chicago- Despite an attorney's contention that a former sportscaster was guilty only of fantasizing, a Lake County judge refused Thursday to overturn his conviction for indecent solicitation of a minor.

Robert Goldman, 44, of the 1200 block of Candlewood Court, Aurora, was found guilty last month in Lake County Circuit Court.

He was accused of conversing over the Internet for 15 months with an undercover investigator pretending to be a teenage girl.

Stephen Komie, Goldman's attorney, argued Thursday that the conviction should be tossed out because Goldman never talked to a real person.

"If the conviction only rests upon typing into the computer, there can be no offense," he told Circuit Judge Fred Foreman.

Komie also argued that Goldman did not commit a crime in Lake County because the conversations with the investigator took place over the Internet.

But Foreman agreed with Assistant State's Atty. Patricia Fix, who said Goldman was conversing with an investigator who was in Waukegan when Goldman sent e-mails about having sex with a minor.

Goldman was a sports personality for CLTV and WGN-AM 720 radio. The stations are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Former Sportscaster Gets Probation For Soliciting Minor

Goldman Must Register As Sex Offender

NBC-5 News - September 20, 2005

CHICAGO -- A Lake County judge on Tuesday sentenced former CLTV sports anchor Rob Goldman for his conviction on charges of soliciting sex with a minor.

Goldman was sentenced to 30 months probation and 200 hours of community service.

He must also register as a sex offender and undergo counseling.

As part of his sentence, Goldman cannot have unsupervised contact with children under 18.

Goldman was arrested in April of 2002 when he went to meet a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl he solicited over the Internet.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-CLTV anchor gets probation for soliciting child online

By Dan Rozek

Chicago Sun Times - September 21, 2005

Former CLTV sports director Robert Goldman wept Tuesday and held up a picture of his two young daughters -- ages 3 and 6 -- as he asked a Lake County judge not to send him to prison for soliciting sex online from a police decoy posing as a 15-year-old girl.

"I lost so much," a sobbing Goldman, 44, of Aurora, told Judge Fred Foreman. "Please don't let me lose them, too."

Foreman chastised Goldman for arranging a 2002 sexual rendezvous with the fictitious teen, telling him at one point: "You should be ashamed of yourself."

But the judge ultimately imposed the penalty sought by Goldman: 30 months' probation rather than the prison term Lake County prosecutor Patricia Fix wanted. Foreman also ordered Goldman to perform 200 hours of community service work, undergo sexual offender treatment and register as a sex offender.

While Goldman faced a maximum five-year prison sentence, Foreman opted for probation, noting the former radio and cable TV sports anchor has no criminal record and never solicited an actual teenager for sex.

"We didn't have an actual victim," Foreman said.

Avoid the Internet

Goldman was arrested on April 6, 2002, after driving from Chicago to Waukegan, where authorities say he had arranged to have sex with a hearing-impaired girl, 15, with whom he had been exchanging e- mails and text messages for months.

Goldman actually had been communicating with an undercover investigator patrolling the Internet. He was convicted by a jury in May of felony indecent solicitation of a minor. After his arrest, he was fired by both CLTV and WGN-AM radio, where he had served as weekend host of "Sports Central."

Foreman ordered Goldman to avoid contact with children under 18 - - except his daughters -- without approval, and avoid the Internet.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Former Sportscaster Fights Sex Offender Label

Man Sentenced To Probation For Soliciting Teen On Internet

NBC-5 News - November 2, 2005

CHICAGO -- Former CLTV sportscaster Rob Goldman was sentenced to 30 months probation and required to register as a sex offender after soliciting a 15-year-old girl over the Internet, but now he's on a mission to change a newly-enacted Illinois law.

Goldman's lawyer, Stephen Komie, filed a motion Tuesday in Lake County in opposition to a new Illinois law that prohibits people on the sex offender registry from participating in Halloween activities.

"It completely cuts off your right to freely associate and assemble under the First Amendment of the Constitution," Komie said.

The motion claims that the sentence imposed on him gives him second-class citizenship, and specifically states that the sex offender status creates a "badge," or "incidence of slavery" in violation of the U.S. Constitution, NBC5's Don Lemon reported.

"It's, in essence, making him a uniquely statused person that can be located on the Internet in a separate classification," attorney Stephen M. Komie said. "(Goldman) can have his house in a separate classification, has limitations where he can live, how many feet from a school."

Komie said that because Goldman never made personal contact, he should not have to register as a sex offender.

The 15-year-old girl turned out to be a Lake County detective, and under Illinois' new sex offender law, Goldman was required to register, resulting in restrictions of where he can go. The law requires all convicted sex offenders to register with the state.

Last month, Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheehan defended the law.

"The law seems a little harsh and a little tough, and it should be," Sheehan said.

Goldman has a wife and two daughters, Lemon reported.

Komie said the government should differentiate between classes of sex offenders.

A judge will rule on the motion Dec. 12.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-Broadcaster Wants off Sex Offender List
By Tony Gordon
Daily Herald - November 2, 2005

Even though he escaped jail time when he was sentenced, a former television personality convicted of child sex solicitation believes the price he paid was too high.

Robert Goldman, former sports director of ChicagoLand Television, is asking Lake County Circuit Judge Fred Foreman to declare the sex offender registration law unconstitutional and take his name off the list.

Goldman, 44, of Aurora, was convicted in May of using the Internet to solicit sexfrom a juvenile, one that turned out to be an undercover police officer.

He was arrested in April 2002 when he arrived for a meeting in Waukegan with the officer, who was portraying a 15-year-old deaf girl on the Internet.

Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Fix asked Foreman to sentence Goldman to two years in prison in September, citing what she called Goldman's lack of remorse for his actions.

But Foreman imposed a 30-month probationary term and 200 hours of community service, and ordered Goldman to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years as required by state law.

Goldman's attorney, Stephen Komie of Chicago, has filed a motion asking Foreman to strike the registration requirement from Goldman's sentence.

Komie claims in the motion the registration law violates the freedom of assembly of all convicted sex offenders and is especially inappropriate in Goldman's case.

"The defendant never saw, was in contact with or performed a sex act of any kind with a minor," the motion says. "To command sex offender status creates a badge or incidence of slavery as it strips him of equal rights."

If Foreman grants the motion and agrees to a new sentencing hearing, Goldman could face up to five years in prison.

Fix declined to comment on the motion before a hearing in court, which she anticipates being scheduled sometime in December.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Police: Former Sportscaster Violated Probation On Halloween

Prosecutor Seeks Revocation Of Rob Goldman's Probation

NBC-5 - November 4, 2005

CHICAGO -- The DuPage County sheriff says a former CLTV sportscaster convicted of soliciting a minor for sex violated his probation by handing out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

The sheriff's office released a statement Friday, saying Rob Goldman, 44, answered the door at his Aurora home and handed out candy to children on Halloween. Under a new state law passed this year, registered sex offenders cannot have contact with children at Halloween and during other holidays.

DuPage County sheriff's officers spent several hours on Halloween watching the homes of 20 sex offenders targeted for surveillance. According to police, Goldman was the only offender observed giving candy to children.

Sheriff's officers did not arrest Goldman, but they forwarded information about the alleged violation to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, which filed a petition to revoke Goldman's probation.

_________________________________________________________________________________

CLTV director in trouble for handing out candy

Broke probation order on Halloween, police say

By Dan Rozek

Chicago Sun Times - Saturday, November 5, 2005

Special to the Daily SouthtownFormer CLTV sports director Robert Goldman could face a five-year prison sentence because he allegedly handed out candy to young trick-or-treaters at his Aurora home on Halloween, authorities said Friday.

Goldman was sentenced in September to 30 months' probation and ordered to stay away from children after being convicted in Lake County of soliciting sex online from a police decoy posing as a hearing-impaired 15-year-old girl.

He also was ordered to register as a sex offender.

During a Halloween stakeout of 20 registered sex offenders in DuPage County, including Goldman, sheriff's department investigators allegedly saw Goldman handing out candy to youngsters who came to his home.

That prompted Lake County prosecutors on Thursday to ask a judge to revoke Goldman's probation, contending Goldman violated the terms of his sentence by having unsupervised contact with the young trick-or-treaters who came to his home.

If his probation is revoked, Goldman, 44, could be resentenced to up to five years in prison for the felony indecent solicitation offense he was convicted of last May.

Goldman's attorney, however, said he will fight efforts to resentence the ex-sportscaster.

The effort to revoke Goldman's probation is simply retaliation by prosecutors for Goldman's efforts earlier this week to challenge the requirement that he register as a sex offender, defense attorney Stephen Komie said.

"This is a bureaucratic reaction to him (Goldman) contesting their authority,'' said Komie, arguing the sex offender registration is unconstitutional because it conflicts with basic constitutional guarantees.

Lake County prosecutors disputed that their move to revoke Goldman's probation was linked to the legal challenge Goldman filed against having to register as a sex offender.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-Sportscaster Back In Police Custody

Police Say Rob Goldman Violated Terms Of His Parole

NBC5 News - November 8, 2005

CHICAGO -- Former sportscaster Robert Goldman was picked up by Lake County officers Tuesday morning for alleged parole violations.

Authorities said the former CLTV sportscaster convicted of soliciting a minor for sex violated his probation by handing out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

Officials said Goldman violated a new state law prohibiting registered sex offenders on probation or parole from handing out Halloween candy to minors.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Goldman was the only one of 20 registered sex offenders monitored by authorities Halloween night who broke that law.

According to the published report, a Lake County judge ordered Goldman held in lieu of $500,000 bond pending a Nov. 21 hearing, at which the judge will consider a motion by Lake County prosecutors to revoke Goldman's probation.

Goldman, 44, entered a not guilty plea to the parole violation charge.

He was convicted on six counts of indecent solicitation of a child in May and placed on 30 months' probation. At that time, he was registered as a sex offender.

Prosecutors have said that if his probation was revoked, he could face up to five years in prison.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-sportscaster accused of violating probation

By Courtney Flynn

Chicago Tribune - November 9, 2005

A former sports broadcaster convicted of indecent solicitation of a child was expected to spend Tuesday night in Lake County Jail after a judge set bail at $500,000 on allegations that he violated his probation.

Prosecutors filed a petition last week seeking to revoke Robert Goldman's probation after he allegedly handed out candy at his Aurora home on Halloween. He is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with children as a condition of his probation.

On Tuesday, Goldman pleaded not guilty to the alleged probation violation and was taken into custody. A status hearing before Circuit Judge Fred Foreman is set for Thursday, and a Nov. 21 court date is set on the prosecutors' petition.

If his probation is revoked, Goldman could be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.

Goldman's attorney, Stephen Komie, said Goldman's wife would work with their family in New York to come up with the bail money and he expected his client to be released Wednesday.

"I'm very disappointed," Goldman's wife, Amy, said outside the courtroom.

Goldman, 44, was convicted in May of six counts of indecent solicitation of a child. He was placed on probation for 30 months in September and registered as a sex offender.

A new state law prohibits registered sex offenders on probation or parole from handing out Halloween candy to minors.

The DuPage County sheriff's office put 20 offenders under surveillance on Halloween, and Goldman was the only registered sex offender who did not comply with the law, authorities said.

In court Tuesday, Komie characterized the allegations against Goldman as a publicity stunt brought about by the new law. Komie has petitioned the court to eliminate the requirement that Goldman register as a sex offender.

But Assistant State's Atty. Patricia Fix denied Komie's accusation and said her office took offense at his suggestion about publicity.

Goldman was warned by his probation officer about not having unsupervised contact with minors and was not forthcoming about what happened on Halloween, Fix said.

"The defendant lies, flat out lies about what he was doing . . . not knowing that he was" under covert surveillance, Fix said. "The probation officer tells him not to have contact with minors vis-a-vis Halloween, he has contact and then lies to his probation officer about it."

Goldman was sports director at CLTV and worked at WGN-AM 720. The stations are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

He was arrested in Waukegan in 2002 after using the Internet to solicit a fictitious teenager for sex in a sting run by the Lake County state's attorney's office. Goldman lost the jobs shortly afterward.

"It's just very difficult for our family," Amy Goldman said outside court. "We're looking forward to a positive resolution."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-sportscaster ordered to jail

Chicago Tribune - Wednesday, November 9, 2005

By Dan Rozek

Special to the Daily SouthtownFormer CLTV sports director Robert Goldman was ordered jailed Tuesday after being charged with violating the terms of his probation by handing out candy to Halloween trick-or-treaters.

Goldman, 44, remained in the Lake County Jail late Tuesday on $500,000 bail.

Lake County prosecutors want a judge to revoke the 30 months probation Goldman received earlier this year after being convicted of indecent solicitation for arranging a sexual rendezvous via the Internet with a police decoy posing as a hearing-impaired 15-year-old girl.

As part of that sentence, Goldman was ordered to register as a sex offender and to avoid contact with children other than his own.

A police sting on Halloween allegedly found Goldman handing out candy to young trick-or-treaters, prompting prosecutors to ask that Goldman be resentenced for the indecent solicitation.

"We have an individual who is directly not complying with what he was told to do,'' said Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Fix.

When questioned later by his probation officer, Goldman allegedly lied about answering the door and handing out candy to youngsters, Fix contended.

If a judge agrees to revoke Goldman's probation, he could be sentenced to a maximum five-year prison term.

Goldman never acted improperly and wasn't alone with any trick-or-treaters, who had their parents with them when they came to his door, his attorney said.

"There were other adults present,'' said defense attorney Stephen Komie.

Komie earlier had filed a legal challenge to the state law requiring Goldman to register as a sex offender. He still plans to argue the registration strips offenders of basic constitutional rights, including the right of free assembly.

"You certainly have the constitutional right to open your front door when someone rings the bell,'' Komie said.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Goldman jailed after handing out treats

BEACON NEWS - November 9, 2005

WAUKEGAN — Former television sportscaster Rob Goldman was ordered jailed Tuesday, after handing out candy to children on Halloween at his Aurora home. Goldman, a convicted child sex offender, was sent to the Lake County Jail.

A new state law bans sex offenders from handing out candy to children on holidays. On Oct. 31, a surveillance team from the DuPage County sheriff's office observed Goldman handing out candy at his home on Aurora's far East Side and notified Lake County prosecutors.

Patricia Fix, chief of the cyber crimes division in the Lake County state's attorney's office, made a motion in Lake County Circuit Court to revoke probation for Goldman, a 44-year-old former Chicago television sports anchor.

Judge Fred Foreman imposed a new bond of $500,000, and Goldman was led away to jail. Foreman set a hearing on the probation revocation for Nov. 21.

Fix said Goldman had been told by his DuPage County probation officer on Oct.

18 that he was not to hand out treats to children on Halloween. "She specifically told him no contact with minor children," Fix said.

After Halloween, when asked about contact with children, Goldman "flat out lied" to his probation officer, Fix said. "Issues with him telling the truth to his probation officer makes it impossible for him to be monitored."

She said Goldman also caused problems for a polygraph examiner who was conducting a court-ordered test. Goldman "didn't like how the questions were being asked," and reacted "in anger," Fix said, forcing the test to be taken a second time.

Goldman's attorney, Stephen Komie, said "there are no complaining adults from his neighborhood" and called the incident a publicity ploy for the new law.

Goldman was found guilty of indecent solicitation of a child following an internet sting by Lake County state's attorney's investigators.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Officials: Former Sportscaster Violated Candy Law

Rob Goldman Ordered Jailed For Handing Out Halloween Candy

Associated Press - November 9, 2005

(AP) WAUKEGAN, Ill. A former CLTV sports director made a return trip to jail after prosecutors accused him of violating a new law that bars sex offenders from handing out candy on Halloween.

Rob Goldman of Aurora was ordered jailed yesterday after being charged with violating the terms of his probation.

Lake County prosecutors are seeking to revoke the 30 months of probation Goldman got for being convicted of indecent solicitation. Officials say he conversed over the Internet with an undercover agent claiming to be a teenage girl.

Goldman was required to register as a sex offender, but police on Halloween found him handing out candy to young trick-or-treaters.

Goldman's lawyer, Stephen Komie, says his client never acted inappropriately, and he argues that the new law is unconstitutional.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-Sportscaster's Probation Revoked

CBS-2 News - November 9, 2005

(CBS) WHEATON A Lake County judge has revoked a former Chicago sportscaster's probation and set bond at $500,000 after authorities accused Rob Goldman of violating a new law that prohibits those convicted of sex-related crimes from handing out candy to kids on Halloween.

The DuPage County Sheriff's department says Goldman, who was convicted of soliciting a minor for sex over the Internet, gave candy to trick-or-treaters this week in violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act.

A Lake County judge sentenced the former Chicagoland Television News sports director in September to 30 months' probation for conversing with an undercover agent claiming to be a teenage girl. The judge also ordered the 44-year-old Aurora man to register as a sex offender, which is required by law.

CLTV fired Goldman shortly after his arrest in 2002.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Former Sportscaster Free Again

Rob Goldman Arrested After Handing Out Candy To Kids

NBC-5 News - November 21, 2005

CHICAGO -- Former CLTV sportscaster and convicted sex offender Rob Goldman appeared in court Monday for a hearing to determine whether he violated his parole.

Goldman was arrested for parole violation after police said they saw him handing out Halloween candy to kids.

Under Illinois law, a sex offender may have no contact with children, which includes holidays like Halloween.

In court, Goldman admitted he should not have handed out the candy. The judge set another court hearing for December, and Goldman was released from custody pending the outcome of that hearing.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Boo!

By Eric Zorn

Chicago Tribune - January 13, 2006

I guess there is some poetic symmetry when an idiot is jailed for violating an idiotic law, so I can't get too indignant about the fate of Robert Goldman

Goldman, 44, a former Tribune Company sportscaster, was arrested in a sting operation in 2002 when he solicited sex online from someone he thought was a 16-year-old girl.  He was sentenced to probation in May, but sent to jail yesterday for violating terms of that probation by handing out trick-or-treat candy to little kids at Halloween.

In doing so he violated the specific instructions of his probation officer, according to testimony.

He was an idiot to have done so, not to mention an idiot (and worse) for starting a flirtation on line with someone he thought was a teenage girl and trying to arrange a meeting.

But a law that assumes that a married father in his 40s with an illegal and unwholesome interest in 16-year-old girls is therefore a drooling danger to little children of trick-or-treating age or some kind of violent predator who would grab a kid off his own front porch is also idiotic.

I've scoured the news archives repeatedly for any reports of any incident in which any sex offender convicted only of crimes involving teenagers proved a danger to pre-teens at any time, much less Halloween when little kids tend to move in packs and be pretty well supervised.

So far nothing, though I'll keep looking. Meanwhile, does anyone out there think it's possible to be tough and smart in punishing sex offenders? Or has it become a civic obligation to strike wildly at them in order to demonstrate our contempt?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Many sex offenders restricted tonight
By Wendy Koch
USA Today - October 30, 2006

Many sex offenders, limited in where they can live or work, are under another restriction today: No costumes, no candy giving, no jack-o'-lanterns, no welcoming front-porch lights.

Some states go further to protect children on the holiday. At least 10 states keep a special eye on sex offenders via house arrest or required meetings, through such programs as Operation Boo in California and Operation Trick No Treat in Virginia.

In New Mexico, a convicted pedophile or violent sex offender who lives alone has, for the first time this year, a sign outside his door today that notifies the public of his offense, says Tim Olsen, a regional manager of the New Mexico Corrections Department. He says offenders must stay inside and keep outside lights turned off.

"They're on virtual house arrest. They can't answer the door unless there's an emergency," and police will drive by to check, he says. "We can't expect all parents will be out there. We want to make sure kids are safe on Halloween."

New Mexico, New Jersey, South Carolina and Tennessee are into their second year of precautions, although Tennessee only recently announced its restrictions after phone calls from anxious parents.

"We wanted the public to know we're taking steps to protect children," says Jack Elder, spokesman for the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole.

In Virginia, which began its Halloween program in 2002, high-risk sex offenders on parole or probation must report to offices where they are held for several hours while kids go trick or treating. "We try to make it a meaningful experience" by providing counselors and updates on registration rules, says Jo G. Holland, regional director of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Some states have had Halloween restrictions for years but are increasing surveillance. New York, which requires offenders to stay home between 3 p.m. and 6 a.m., is making checkup calls and unannounced visits.

Other states with Halloween restrictions include Illinois, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Violators can be arrested. Robert Goldman, a former Chicago-area TV sportscaster, got six months in jail for violating his probation by handing out candy last Halloween.

The restrictions generally apply only to people on probation or parole, a fraction of the 566,782 sex offenders registered nationwide. In Tennessee, the Halloween restrictions apply to 2,000 of 8,100 registered offenders, Elder says.

Most sex offenders are under no "meaningful supervision," and the Halloween rules are a "desperate effort to do something good," says Grier Weeks, executive director of the National Association to Protect Children, an advocacy group. "It's always good to keep kids from going up the steps of a known sex offender."

Laura Ahearn welcomes the restrictions. "A candy bar represents an opportunity for a sexual predator to start the process of grooming a child," says Ahearn, director of Parents for Megan's Law, a child-advocacy group.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Former CLTV broadcaster's conviction overturned
By Rob Olmstead and Tony Gordon
Daily Herald - June 3, 2008

A former CLTV producer's conviction for solicitation of a minor has been overturned by an Illinois appellate court, his attorney said Tuesday.

Robert Goldman of Aurora was convicted of solicitation of a minor for sex after he arranged to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old girl but in fact was an undercover Lake County state's attorney's investigator.

Goldman's lawyer, Thomas Brandstrader, argued the jury was not properly instructed as to what they needed to find regarding Goldman's intent in order to find him guilty. An Illinois appellate court agreed, and in a May 30 ruling, threw out two counts and ordered a new trial on the other four remaining counts.

Goldman was sentenced to probation for his crime and has already served that sentence, Brandstrader said.

The Lake County state's attorney can appeal, retry the case or drop it.

"We have been informed of the decision of the appellate court," said Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Fix. "We are waiting to see the entire decision before we decide to ask the Supreme Court to review the case."

Brandstrader said his client was happy about the ruling.

"This type of offense obviously scares people, repulses people. Rob made a mistake (but) he never touched anybody or hurt anybody," said Brandstrader.

_________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead

_________________________________________________________________________________