Friedman case: Timeline of events
Jesse Friedman in Mineola. (June 4, 2013) Credit: Howard Schnapp
1988. Jesse Friedman and his father, Arnold, plead guilty to sexually abusing more than a dozen young boys who took computer classes in the basement of their Great Neck home.
1995. Arnold Friedman kills himself in prison.
2001. Jesse Friedman is paroled.
January 2003. "Capturing the Friedmans," a documentary that wins the Sundance Film Festival's grand jury prize, debuts. It also was nominated for an Academy Award. The filmmakers, Andrew Jarecki, 49, of Manhattan, and Marc Smerling, 49, of Brooklyn, say they spoke to five of the original 14 students who accused Jesse Friedman and that four of them have recanted. The fifth said he was hypnotized by therapists working on the case, and had not recalled abuse until then.
Jan. 4, 2008. U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert shuts down one of Friedman's last remaining hopes of clearing his name on charges that he molested several children more than 20 years ago, saying Friedman filed his appeal too late.
Aug. 17, 2010. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice agrees to revisit Friedman's conviction after the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a decision that denies Friedman's bid to withdraw his guilty plea, but criticizes the handling of the case.
Nov. 8, 2010. Rice unveils a four-member independent panel tasked with overseeing the Friedman case review. Among the panelists is Barry Scheck, founder of the Manhattan-based Innocence Project.
