A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Port Washington school district music teacher to 32 months in jail for possession of child pornography.
David Kopstein, 70, who taught at the South Salem Elementary School from 2005 to 2009, was arrested in July 2015 on child pornography charges.
He was charged with two counts of transportation of child pornography, two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography, records show.
Judge Arthur Spatt of U.S. District Court in Central Islip also sentenced Kopstein, of Franklin Square, to five years of supervised release, ordered him to attend mental health counseling and fined him $5,000.
At the time of his arrest, Kopstein admitted to “downloading images of nude minor girls,” court documents show.
In a letter to Judge Spatt before sentencing, Kopstein said, “I now suffer shame, regret and self-contempt — not only because of being arrested and publically humiliated, but because in my own mind, I deserve it.”
He was never charged with abusing children.
Kopstein’s attorney, Jeffrey Pittell, declined to comment. The Port Washington school district also declined to comment.
Kopstein’s son, Scott, of Franklin Square, was also arrested on child pornography charges in 2009 and served five years in jail.
Kopstein worked in the West Hempstead school district for 34 years, teaching a variety of instruments and organizing and conducting student bands, court records show.
An accomplished trumpet player who played around Long Island, he was in a band that played on Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary series, records show.
Kopstein faced 37 to 46 months in prison but, as part of a deal, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
Assistant U.S. District Attorney Allen Bode, in a letter to Spatt, said Kopstein “refused to stop consuming child pornography after three warnings and seeing his son incarcerated for five years for a child pornography offense.”
Many people, including parents of children Kopstein had taught, wrote pre-sentencing letters to Spatt expressing their gratitude for his teaching while highlighting his character.
Kopstein’s brother, Rick, in a letter to Spatt, said, “I can only tell you that he is deeply ashamed of the charges alleged.”
“He has told me on many occasions over the past months how hard he is trying to understand how this happened and how deeply invested he is in the process of self-understanding through therapy,” the letter said.
Kopstein’s wife, Ilene, a psychologist, wrote a letter saying her husband’s mental health would only decline if he is incarcerated, and instead he should receive residential treatment.
“He created a fantasy to help him avoid the harsh realities of life,” the letter read. “Without specific intensive intervention perhaps even residential treatment, his tenuous mental state will worsen.”
Kopstein’s sentencing memorandum also included a list of achievements and letters praising him throughout his career, including a note from Rose Marvel, the former director of creative arts at the South Salem school.
“Because of your dedication to your students and the time you provided them to learn the music for this concert, the Elementary District Wide Band sounded terrific and the children performed like professionals,” the note said.
