The former American University student who was arrested in connection with the Oct. 31, 2022, Leonard Hall incident has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual abuse and second-degree burglary.
David Kramer-Fried accepted a plea agreement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in a status hearing in D.C. Superior Court on Friday.
He admitted in court to entering two dorm rooms on the all-female eighth floor of Leonard and attempting “to engage in sexual contact,” according to a police detective’s affidavit.
One survivor reported two pairs of underwear missing from her room. Police found one pair in the front pocket of a hoodie that Kramer-Fried was seen on security video wearing that night.
At the time of the incident, Kramer-Fried lived in McDowell Hall, which is connected to Leonard by a footbridge.
Kramer-Fried, 21, of West Newton, Massachusetts, was originally charged on Dec. 7, 2023, with two counts of first-degree burglary and one count of attempting to commit fourth-degree sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance on Dec. 7, 2023.
As part of the plea deal, the prosecutor’s office agreed to leave sentencing up to Judge Anthony C. Epstein, Kramer-Fried’s public defender said in court.
The second-degree burglary charge carries between two and 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $37,500. Misdemeanor sexual abuse has a maximum of 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
“You’ve agreed that your lawyer won’t ask for a sentence below the bottom of the guidelines range, and the government’s agreed it won’t ask for a sentence above the guidelines range,” Epstein told Kramer-Fried in the Friday hearing, “but I’m not bound by that recommendation and I can impose any sentence up to the maximum.”
Kramer-Fried will also have to pay between $100 and $5,000 for the burglary charge and between $50 and $250 for misdemeanor sexual abuse into a fund for crime victims, Epstein told him in court.
He will not be required to register as a sex offender because the sexual abuse charge is a misdemeanor, not a felony, the judge said. He was not taken into custody after the hearing and left the courtroom with his public defender.
It is unclear whether Kramer-Fried is released until sentencing. The terms of his pretrial release banned him from D.C., ordered him to stay away from the survivors and witnesses and ordered him “not to enter the dorm room of any female.”
A LinkedIn account in Kramer-Fried’s name now lists Temple University under the education tab and lists his location as Philadelphia, though AU still remains on his page. When The Eagle downloaded a PDF copy of the account in March, the profile only listed AU and D.C.
Kramer-Fried’s public defender said he is studying public health full-time at Temple University in a motion filed in court on June 17. The attorney said Kramer-Fried is living with his parents in Massachusetts this summer and working at a retirement home.
Temple University did not respond to a request to confirm his enrollment status.
Kevin O’Sullivan, the public defender, asked the court to reduce the number of Kramer-Fried’s mandatory check-ins with the D.C. Pretrial Services Agency from twice a week to once a week until his sentencing on August 23.
O’Sullivan said Kramer-Fried has had “perfect compliance” with his release conditions.
It is unclear when Kramer-Fried was removed from campus following the incident, though AU President Sylvia Burwell said an unnamed student was banned from campus “last academic year” in a Jan. 19, 2024, email announcing the arrest.
The University waited until students returned for the spring 2024 semester “to share this news when the community returned in full.” It has not issued a statement since then. The Eagle identified Kramer-Fried as the suspect in March 2024.
The Leonard Hall incident led to two student walkouts, first in November 2022 and again one year later. In November 2022, AU launched a community working group to address students’ concerns about sexual violence. Last spring, students said the group needed to be more transparent about its goals and encourage student involvement. Its final meeting was held in April 2023 and Burwell is expected to outline the next steps for implementation.
Kramer-Fried will return to D.C. Superior Court for a full report and sentencing on August 23.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on June 17 to include material from a motion filed in court.
Students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment can seek support through confidential resources such as the University’s Center for Well-Being Programs and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center, the Kay Spiritual Life Center or the following hotlines:
- Collegiate Assistance Program: 1-855-678-8679
- Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (RAINN) anonymous chat
- RAINN hotline: 1-800-656-4673
- DC Rape Crisis Center: 202-333-7273
Non-confidential resources include the University’s Title IX Office and AUPD.
This article was edited by Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks.
