LI Prosecutors Agree To Evidence Hearing In Jesse Friedman Sex Abuse Case
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Prosecutors on Long Island have agreed to a hearing on evidence in the notorious 1988 sex abuse case against Jesse Friedman.
Lawyers for Friedman said they have statements from witnesses who claim they were coached to lie.
Despite the hearing, the Nassau County district attorney's office said Wednesday it remains confident Friedman's conviction will be upheld.
Friedman and his father, Arnold Friedman, pleaded guilty in 1988 to abusing 13 children during a computer class that the elder Friedman taught at their Great Neck home.
But Jesse Friedman has maintained that he was coerced into confessing. He later said he accepted the deal to avoid a life sentence.
Arnold Friedman committed suicide in prison in 1995, leaving behind a $250,000 life insurance benefit to his then-imprisoned son.
Friedman was released from prison in 2001 and has fought to clear his name since.
Friedman is also suing District Attorney Kathleen Rice, alleging that prosecutors defamed him to look like a "bad guy." A spokesman for Rice has called the lawsuit meritless.
Friedman was a subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Capturing the Friedmans.''
The acclaimed 2003 documentary featured interviews with Jesse Friedman; his brother, David; and their mother, Elaine. The film showed the breakdown of the family as documented on home video as the case against Arnold and Jesse Friedman went forward.
While the documentary took no position on the Friedmans' guilt, filmmaker Andrew Jarecki has assisted in the quest to have Jesse Friedman's conviction overturned.
The Bridgeport, Connecticut, resident has fought for over a decade for exoneration.
The evidence hearing has not yet been scheduled.
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