Rockland therapist pleads guilty to assaulting client, ending two criminal cases

GARNERVILLE — Daniel Dresdner, a Rockland County therapist charged with abusing two female clients, resolved the criminal cases against him Thursday by pleading guilty to a reduced charge.

Dresdner, 34, had been charged in one case with assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, and harassment in the second degree, a non-criminal offense.

At Thursday’s hearing, Haverstraw Town Court Justice Ivonne Santos asked Dresdner if, in January 2021, he had knocked a woman down at his therapy office in Pomona, “causing her pain and cracking her tooth” − an allegation central to this first case. Dresdner admitted that he had done so and accepted the Rockland County district attorney’s plea offer of assault in the third degree.

The guilty plea will also resolve the other criminal case, in which he was charged with 55 counts of sexual abuse in the third degree, another misdemeanor.

Charging documents in that case indicate that the client had accused Dresdner of groping her breasts, buttocks and genital area during a therapy session. She had also accused Dresdner of pressing his clothed genital area onto her.

The Rockland County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the cases.

Jacob Kaplan, Dresdner's attorney, previously argued that prosecutors failed to identify specific dates on which this alleged conduct occurred, warranting dismissal of the sexual abuse charges.

In connection with the plea offer, Santos indicated that Dresdner’s sentence may consist of a conditional discharge, which does not involve jail time but could involve certain restrictions imposed by the court. The crime of assault in the third degree could otherwise be punishable by up to one year in jail.

Santos further indicated that Dresdner may have to surrender his therapy license for five years and may be prohibited from reapplying for a license within five years. She added that if Dresdner ever practices therapy again with a female client, he may need to be supervised by another person.

The final sentence will not be imposed by the court until a sentencing hearing in June. Kaplan, the attorney, declined to comment after Thursday’s hearing.

The client in the second case expressed shock and confusion at the relative leniency of the plea deal, given the tenor of the original charges.

“He took advantage of me at one of the most vulnerable times in my life,” said the woman, who was not named in court and whom The Journal News/lohud agreed not to name in this story, in a brief interview. “I wanted to confront him. I’ll just have to work on myself and get closure for myself.”

Shulim Leifer, who acts as an advocate for the women accusing Dresdner of abuse, remarked that he believes Dresdner “is getting away with less than a slap on the wrist."

“Today, Dresdner is winning, based on what he got away with,” he added.

Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can find him on Twitter at @quasiasher or send him an email at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland County therapist pleads guilty to assaulting client