BUCKEYE, AZ (July 30, 2024): A former west valley youth swim coach is in custody after Buckeye police uncovered evidence that he secretly recorded student athletes in restrooms. David Laudati (41) was arrested yesterday in Connecticut on voyeurism charges.

On September 9, 2023, a parent contacted Buckeye police to report their 14-year-old daughter was changing after swim practice when she spotted a cell phone in the restroom at Center on Main recreation facility where Laudati had just finished coaching the Arizona Dolphins. 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.

On September 11, 2023, investigators with the Buckeye Police Special Victims Unit served a search warrant at Laudati’s home in Goodyear, seizing the suspect’s cell phone and electronics. The devices were then forensically analyzed. As detectives examined the digital evidence, they were able to locate several photos showing female minors partially undressed or nude in the Center on Main restroom and the Litchfield Park Recreation Center locker room. It was learned during the investigation that Laudati was also coaching swim at Millenium High School in Goodyear. A total of three victims were identified between ages 14 and 17.

Evidence was presented this month to a Maricopa County Grand Jury which indicted Laudati on July 16, 2024, on eight counts of attempt to commit voyeurism and 11 counts of voyeurism. Buckeye police coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Service which located and arrested Laudati on July 29, 2024, at a home in Newington, Connecticut. He will be extradited back to Maricopa County for prosecution.

Buckeye police applaud the courageous teen and her family who made the initial report, launching a months-long investigation. From there, detectives worked to gather evidence to get justice for her and other victims. We thank the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in apprehending the offender.