Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Report: <em>Capturing the Friedmans</em> Subject Was NOT Wrongfully Accused Of Child Molestation
By
Lauren Evans
Published Jun 24, 2013
Modified Jun 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Lauren Evans
Published Jun 24, 2013
Modified Jun 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Jesse Friedman, a Long Island man who claimed to be wrongly accused of molesting more than a dozen local school children in his home in 1988, has been found guilty anew, according to a 155-page report from the Nassau County DA released on Monday. You may read the report in full below; here is an excerpt:
Friedman, now 46, was 18 years old when police and prosecutors charged him and his father with sexually abusing more than a dozen local children enrolled in a computer class taught at the Friedmans’ Great Neck home. The pair pled guilty and each was sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Jesse Friedman served 13 years in prison and was paroled in 2001 without ever appealing his conviction. Upon his release from prison, Friedman was adjudicated a Level Three sex offender, a status he maintains today.
In 2004, Jesse Friedman chose for the first time in the 16 years since he pled guilty to try and overturn his conviction. His claims were based exclusively on what he believed was “newly discovered evidence” depicted in the 2003 film Capturing the Friedmans. The film attempts to cast the Friedmans as possible victims of police misconduct, community hysteria, and judicial bias.
The investigation, which took nearly three years, not only affirmed Friedman's conviction, but "added critical context, and in some cases supplied refuting evidence" to the theories promulgated by Friedman and his advocates.
Friedman initially pleaded guilty to charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a minor. His father, Arnold, an admitted pedophile, pleaded guilty to 42 counts of sexual abuse and died in prison in 1995. The younger Friedman spent 13 years in prison, and was released in 2001. Though he currently lives with his wife in Connecticut, he told Newsday that he will continue to attempt to clear his name, despite the newly released report.
But the report, which was reviewed by an independent advisory panel, paints a different picture. After exhaustively reviewing and, subsequently, dismissing the assertions of Friedman's innocence, it concludes with this:
The Review Team thoroughly analyzed and weighed all amassed information. Special attention was paid to the alleged recantation evidence, which was found to be either overstated, not reliable, or unable to be substantiated.
The District Attorney’s ultimate decision did not turn on any one piece of evidence or witness account. Instead, it rested upon a consideration of all of the evidence, past and present. No investigation or prosecution is perfect, and this case is no exception. However, in the final analysis, taking all evidence into consideration, and giving it its due weight, Jesse Friedman was not wrongfully convicted.
Here's the full report:
Conviction Integrity Review - People v. Jesse Friedman - FINAL by johnd7463
Tagged
child molester
jesse friedman
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani opts not to define antisemitism in report to combat Jewish hate crimes
The decision avoids a hotly debated issue over whether certain kinds of criticisms of Israel constitute antisemitism.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 11:36 a.m. ET
Police are still investigating bike crash that killed dad of 2 in Central Park
The family is raising money for the wife and two daughters he leaves behind.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Police are still investigating bike crash that killed dad of 2 in Central Park
The family is raising money for the wife and two daughters he leaves behind.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .