A local teen who said she lost her innocence to an older man she met on the internet had some advice Monday for other young people who might find themselves in similar situations: "Don't trust anyone you meet online."

The now 17-year-old and her parents delivered emotional victim impact statements at the sentencing of Adam J. Friedman of Ellington Monday in New London Superior Court.

Friedman, 28, had pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a minor and faced up to two years in prison.

The victim and her family implored Judge Hillary B. Strackbein to impose the entire prison term while defense attorney William Gerace argued for a reduced sentence.  The judge imposed an 18-month sentence, remarking that Friedman "looks like two different people" in written submissions from both sides.

The victim's family considers him a pedophile who comes from a well-to-do family and thought he was "entitled" to a young girl.

"He raped and sodomized her and tied her up with a belt buckle," said the girl's mother.  

Her stepmother said Friedman ordered the teen "a handmade S & M collar from Etsy and walked her around like a damn animal" at a seedy hotel.

The defense submitted a sentencing memorandum and letters of support indicating Friedman, who had no criminal records, had entered into sexual offender treatment as soon as he was arrested. Friedman works as a manager at Superior Energy, a family-owned propane business in Vernon. The letters indicate he was well-liked in the workplace and had also worked as an EMT, volunteered at pet adoption events and at the local Jewish cemetery. His ex-girlfriend submitted a letter indicating Friedman was "overly kind and caring."

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Friedman met the alleged victim, then 15, in January 2015 after she posted a photograph on the website "Whisper." They continued to communicate on a chat site called "Kik," where she said they started discussing sadomasochistic sexual activities.

"There is no question that the defendant always understood the victim was 15," said prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman.

Had she been just a little bit older, the defense attorney remarked, there would have been no crime. Under Connecticut law, 16-year-olds can legally consent to sex.

The teen said that on three occasions in February 2015, Friedman picked her up at her high school. They engaged in sex acts in a local parking lot and at the Rodeway Inn in Waterford, she said, and Friedman used props associated with bondage. She said he sent her a contract containing rules she was to obey.

At one point Friedman called Montville High School to pick her up and posed as her "Uncle Adam." He did not not know he would be connected to the school's security officer, Michael Collins, a retired state trooper who immediately became suspicious. Police used phone, credit card and email records to document the relationship, according to the affidavit.

The teen victim was living with her father, a retired naval submariner and stepmother, who said they had monitored her online activity but that it is difficult to know which websites were dangerous.

"When you're looking at the phone, it's really hard to stay on top of it," the stepmother said. "If I could go back in time, I would not have let her have it."

The teen has since moved to the west coast, where she is living with her mother and being home-schooled. She suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, but is a gifted student, her mother said.

While the court case was pending, Victim Advocate Stephanie Barber had, at the teen's request, arranged to have Friedman return to her her favorite stuffed animal — a pink puppy she had since childhood.

In handing down the sentence, Strackbein said she took into account Friedman's lack of a criminal record, the fact that the victim would be spared from testifying at trial and Friedman's agreement to reimburse the victim's family up to $40,000 for counseling and other expenses they incurred as a result of the crime.

Friedman will be on probation for 10 years following his release from prison and is required to register as a sex offender.

k.florin@theday.com