Friedman was arraigned on July 18 and pled not guilty to the charges. He is due back in court on July 28 for a preliminary setting.

This is a developing story which will be updated as facts warrant.

The son of Beverly Hills City Councilmember Lester Friedman has been charged with two criminal counts for allegedly creating a fake social media account impersonating another City Council candidate, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division announced on July 14.   

Adam Friedman, 37, was charged July 13 with one felony count of identity theft and one misdemeanor count of internet/electronic impersonation, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The younger Friedman, whose arraignment date has not yet been set, is accused in April of setting up a fake online account for City Council candidate Sharona Nazarian while his father was up for reelection, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The Courier reported last month that Friedman denied that he had any connection to a fake Instagram account purportedly for Nazarian that included photos of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón — who is facing a recall effort — along with captions including, “This man is a hero and doing wonderful things for the City of Beverly Hills and humanity!”

Friedman told the Courier that he and his campaign were cooperating with the investigation. 

City News Service