Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that Richard Lenhart, a former psychologist from the State College area, has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. Lenhart, aged 63 and residing in Bellefonte, was convicted by a Centre County jury in August for crimes including rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, and corruption of minors.
The offenses involved a young girl and occurred between 2005 and 2013. The investigation into Lenhart's actions began after he was convicted of insurance fraud and unrelated sexual assaults involving patients from his psychology practice.
Attorney General Henry commented on the case: “Thanks to the bravery of this victim to come forward and face her abuser, the defendant will spend years in prison for sexually assaulting her. The defendant abused his position of trust to groom and abuse the victim from a young age. My office will continue to make sure that anyone who harms children will be prosecuted and held accountable.”
The victim provided testimony regarding the abuse during the trial. The prosecution team included Senior Deputy Attorneys General Michael T. Madeira and Megan McGoron.