Teen's Rape By Forest Hill Neighbor Who Gave Her Alcohol Leads To Man's Prison Sentence

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A 40-year-old Forest Hill man has been sentenced in connection to the rape of a teenage girl he supplied with alcohol.

Steven Jay Friedman was convicted earlier this year of second-degree rape, sexual offense in the third degree, second-degree assault and furnishing for or allowing underage consumption following a bench trial in the Circuit Court for Harford County.

The victim testified during the trial that she regularly walked around her neighborhood and on Feb. 18, 2022, she was approached at around 5 p.m. by Friedman. He told her he'd been watching her take walks and thought she was "very attractive." Friedman then invited her into his home and gave her alcohol, she testified.

According to court documents, the victim became too intoxicated to defend herself from Friedman who reached under her shirt and bra and touched her. She attempted to resist, she said, but Friedman overpowered her and performed oral sex on her then digitally penetrated her without her consent, she said.

During the incident, Friedman’s family came home and he spoke with them before escorting the victim out of the residence undetected. The victim preserved video evidence of Friedman providing her alcohol and confirming the sexual contact.

Friedman was interviewed by members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigative Division and admitted to providing the victim alcohol and to the sexual contact. He has been sentenced to 30 years suspend all but 18 years.

The breakdown of sentencing is reflected as follows:

• Rape 2nd – 20 years, suspend all but 18 years to serve
• Sex offense 3rd degree – 10 years, suspended, consecutive
• Providing alcohol to a minor – $1000 fine, suspended

Upon his release from prison, Friedman will be placed on five years of supervised probation with standard conditions, as well as the requirement that he submit to lifetime supervision as a sex offender and lifetime sex offender registration. As part of his probation, he is ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family, be subject to DNA testing and COMET supervision, sex offender treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy, abstinence from alcohol and drugs, drug testing, drug/alcohol treatment, and no unsupervised contact with minors.

“I am very grateful that we were able to obtain justice for the victim in this case, who showed incredible resilience and bravery by facing her abuser not just at trial, but at the sentencing hearing as well. This offender is a danger to our community, and we are grateful that Judge Curtin’s sentence in this case will ensure that the citizens of our community are free from him for a long time and that he will be monitored extremely closely when he is eventually released," said Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey.