Divorce Attorney Sentenced To Prison For Sexual Battery
District Attorney Jan Scully announced yesterday that attorney Gary Appelblatt was sentenced to 18 months in prison following his plea of no...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2009/11/divorce-attorney-sentenced-to-prison.html
District Attorney Jan Scully announced yesterday that attorney Gary Appelblatt was sentenced to 18 months in prison following his plea of no contest to four felony counts of sexual battery by a professional and one felony count of attempted sexual battery by a professional. Appelblatt will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
The case involved five counts relating to five different victims. Appelblatt, a divorce lawyer, fondled the breasts of several female clients under the guise of performing a “medical examination.” During consultations, the defendant would tell the women that he was a pharmacist.
He would discuss his training and his degree and at times would also let them know that his wife was a doctor. The defendant suggested that the women sounded sick or looked sick.
In most cases, Appelblatt would then proceed to pull out a stethoscope and conduct an “exam” as if he were a physician. He would feel their glands, listen to their lungs and listen to their hearts just as a medical doctor would do.
The defendant would then touch, or attempt to touch, the victim’s breasts. However, once the victims realized what he was actually doing was not for a professional purpose, they would stop him. In all cases the victims immediately left the office.
Predator off the street
“The defendant was a predator who used his professional status as a divorce attorney to sexually assault a number of female clients over a period of years,” said deputy district attorney Keith Hill. “Today’s prison sentence will help insure he is no longer in a position to prey on future victims.”
According to state bar information, Appelblatt was admitted to practice law in California in 1989 and will be subjected to an interim suspension on November 23, 2009.
The case involved five counts relating to five different victims. Appelblatt, a divorce lawyer, fondled the breasts of several female clients under the guise of performing a “medical examination.” During consultations, the defendant would tell the women that he was a pharmacist.
He would discuss his training and his degree and at times would also let them know that his wife was a doctor. The defendant suggested that the women sounded sick or looked sick.
In most cases, Appelblatt would then proceed to pull out a stethoscope and conduct an “exam” as if he were a physician. He would feel their glands, listen to their lungs and listen to their hearts just as a medical doctor would do.
The defendant would then touch, or attempt to touch, the victim’s breasts. However, once the victims realized what he was actually doing was not for a professional purpose, they would stop him. In all cases the victims immediately left the office.
Predator off the street
“The defendant was a predator who used his professional status as a divorce attorney to sexually assault a number of female clients over a period of years,” said deputy district attorney Keith Hill. “Today’s prison sentence will help insure he is no longer in a position to prey on future victims.”
According to state bar information, Appelblatt was admitted to practice law in California in 1989 and will be subjected to an interim suspension on November 23, 2009.
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