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Forest Hill resident Steven Jay Friedman, 40, was convicted this week on rape and other charges for allegedly supplying a 16-year-old girl with alcohol before sexually assaulting her in February last year.
Specifically, Friedman was convicted of:
- Second-degree rape;
- Sexual offense in the third degree;
- Second-degree assault;
- Furnishing for or allowing underage consumption.
Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey said that the teen testified that she regularly took walks in her neighborhood, and Friedman approached her at approximately 5 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2022 “stating that he had been watching her take walks and thought she was very attractive.”
Friedman then invited the girl into his home to provide her alcohol, and while inside, he reached under her shirt and bra to inappropriately touch her chest, according to prosecutors.
The victim testified that she was too intoxicated to say no at the time and did not consent.
“Friedman overcame her attempts to resist and performed oral sex on her while digitally penetrating her without consent,” officials said, noting that during the assault, his family came home and he interacted with them before escorting the teen out of the home undetected.
The teen was able to preserve video evidence of Friedman providing her with alcohol and confirming the sexual contact. Friedman later admitted to the incident to members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigative Division.
Friedman remains remanded to the custody of the Harford County Detention Center and will face 20 years in prison when sentencing is scheduled following the completion of a Pre-Sentence Investigation.
“The conviction of Steven Friedman for this heinous and predatory crime gives the victim of this case closure to a difficult chapter that no individual deserves, and especially not a child,” Healey said following the conviction. “We will be seeking a maximum sentence to ensure this sexual predator is removed from our community for the protection of other children and our citizens.
“I commend the victim and her family for reporting the assault and for the bravery she exhibited by testifying at trial.”
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