A former youth swim coach in Connecticut is wanted by police in Arizona for secretly recording student athletes in restrooms and locker rooms at a recreation center there.
Laudati was a longtime swim coach in Connecticut, but Newington police said there have been no allegations against him in the state.
Police in Buckeye, Arizona, said a months-long investigation identified three victims ranging in age from 14 to 17.
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It started with a report from a parent in September of 2023 who said their 14-year-old daughter was changing after swim practice at the recreation center where Laudati had just finished coaching the Arizona Dolphins, when she spotted a cell phone recording her.
“The teen found the cell phone inside a mesh pocket on Laudati’s backpack, which was left on top of a changing table. The phone screen was reportedly on and displaying what the camera was capturing,” Buckeye police wrote in a press release.
Police said Laudati was also coaching swim at Millenium High School in Goodyear, AZ.
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Investigators served a search warrant, seizing his cell phone and other electronics from his home, and found several photos of minors partially undressed or nude in the restroom and locker rooms of the recreation center, police said.
Laudati appeared in New Britain Superior Court on Tuesday where a judge set his bond at $75,000.
“These are serious allegations,” an attorney for the state said. “The defendant’s currently facing 19 felony offenses out of Arizona.”
His attorney told NBC Connecticut his family plans to post that bond and fly him to Arizona to face the voyeurism charges within 48 hours. Laudati waived extradition and is required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.
His former employer, Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford, said in a statement, “This individual was last employed by the Mandell JCC in 2019, when he left for a new job in Arizona. We are not aware of any improprieties during his time with us. Our top priority is and remains the safety and well-being of our community.”
