Jesse Friedman, who was convicted in a child sex abuse scandal that roiled Nassau County more than 20 years ago, is suing for access to law enforcement records and grand jury testimony as prosecutors examine whether he was wrongfully convicted. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a review of Friedman’s 1988 conviction for the alleged sexual abuse of boys in his Great Neck home. Friedman has filed an Article 78 petition asking Supreme Court Justice F. Dana Winslow (See Profile) to order prosecutors to turn over the case file, grand jury minutes and other documents.
In November 2010, District Attorney Kathleen Rice convened a panel to assist her office in reviewing Friedman’s conviction but Friedman and his attorneys have complained about the review’s secrecy (NYLJ, July 10, 2012). The petition stems from a September 2012 Freedom of Information Law request Friedman’s lawyers submitted to the D.A.’s office "after numerous informal overtures were rebuffed." The request was denied and an appeals officer in the office upheld the denial, Friedman v. Rice, 13-004015.
