The former coach of a Palm Beach County middle school pleaded guilty Thursday to sending sexually explicit photos and videos to a 16-year-old girl.
Javian Golphin Jr., who oversaw boys' basketball at Lake Shore Middle in Belle Glade, began messaging the teenager on Instagram in September 2025. Charged the following month with six felonies, each punishable by up to five years in prison, the since-fired coach made a deal with prosecutors on Oct. 1 to avoid prison entirely.
Golphin, 26, agreed to give up his teaching license and undergo a psychosexual evaluation for the pornographic texts. In exchange, prosecutors dropped four of the six charges and recommended a penalty of two days' time-served, followed by two years of probation.
Circuit Judge Bradley
Harper sentenced Golphin accordingly.
The deal, negotiated by Assistant State Attorney Amanda McCabe and defense lawyer Thomas Montgomery, cemented Golphin's status as a felon without requiring him to register as a sex offender. Neither Golphin nor his teenage victim spoke in court, though State Attorney's Office spokesperson Marc Freeman said afterward that the girl approved of the resolution.
Teen's grandmother let investigators search girl's phone
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office didn't say what prompted deputies' investigation, though court records suggest they were helped in part by the girl's grandmother. She gave permission to search through the teenager's phone.
There, they found Golphin's proposal that the girl be his "girlfriend," his promises to take her on out-of-town dates, his inquiries as to her sexual experience, his requests that they share their location and images of himself naked.
Neither deputies nor prosecutors said Golphin carried out the sexual fantasies he shared over text, nor that he had any on-campus interaction with the girl. They did, however, maintain that he knew she was 16.
In Florida, the age of consent is 18. Those ages 16 and 17 can legally consent to sexual activity only with a partner who is 23 or younger. Golphin was 25 when he began messaging the girl.
"I just did this for you," he wrote beneath one lewd video. "Hopefully it brighten the mood a lil."
His wife of less than six months filed for divorce soon after.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: No prison for Palm Beach County coach who sent nude videos to girl
