Girl testifies relative raped her

Erica D. Johnson

Monday, Jan. 27, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.

A relative of the Las Vegas man who is charged with 13 sex crimes told a District Court jury Friday that he raped her when she was 14 years old.

Steven Newberg, 37, faces felony counts that range from sexual assault of a minor to use of a minor in producing pornography and open and gross lewdness.

The girl, who is now 16, testified Friday that when she came to Las Vegas from Los Angeles to attend a Sam Boyd Stadium concert with Newberg in the summer of 2001, Newberg assaulted her twice.

The first incident occurred in Newberg's pickup truck after he picked her up from the Greyhound bus station, she said. She said Newberg pulled into a deserted construction site off the Strip.

"He unzipped his pants and wanted me to do something," she said. "I told him I didn't want to do it. He said it would be over with fast."

The second incident occurred at Newberg's home when his live-in girlfriend, Lorraine Engel, was at work, the teen testified. The teen said she was watching a movie in Newberg's bedroom when took off his clothes and raped her.

"I kept telling him not to do it," she said. "I was trying to push him off and tell him not to because it hurts and I didn't want to do it."

Chief Deputy District Attorneys Lisa Luzaich and Doug Herndon allege Newberg raped the girl and videotaped the acts.

Newberg's lawyers argued that the sex portrayed on the 30-minute videotape, shown last week to jurors, was consensual.