Quakertown Counselor Accused of Secretly Recording Patients to Stand Trial

A 55-year-old family counselor who is accused of secretly recording video of his clients at his former office in Quakertown waived his preliminary hearing on invasion of privacy, interception of oral communication and other charges Wednesday, allowing them to proceed to trial.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s office said Jonathan Elliot Moyer, of Alburtis, is now accused of violating the privacy of 21 people “including staff members and vulnerable individuals seeking counseling services” at Empower Life Coaching & Counseling, which had offices at 523 W. Broad Street and in Bally, Berks County, that have apparently closed.

Moyer’s areas of practice included anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, parent-child and family counseling, and in some instances he was aware that individuals he was allegedly recording without consent were “victims of past sexual trauma,” the DA’s office said.

“The actions of the defendant represent a profound betrayal of trust, particularly impacting vulnerable individuals seeking help,” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said Wednesday. “Our office is committed to ensuring that those who violate the privacy and safety of others are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. We stand with the victims and will pursue justice diligently.”

In a news release published on the DA’s Crimewatch site, police said that in one instance Moyer may have attempted to record “up the shorts” video of a female client who was a minor. In other cases, they said he requested unnecessary urine samples from patients, at least one of whom was allegedly tricked into providing one while being secretly recorded.

“A total of 13 separate individuals, including one minor, fell victim to invasion of privacy related charges, with investigators noting over 20 separate videos of victims using the bathroom,” the news release said.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office began investigating Moyer in early March, after a detective received information about an electronic storage device that allegedly contained surreptitiously recorded videos of female patients.

“Forensic examinations of seized devices, including a charging block camera from the Quakertown office bathroom, a key fob camera found on Moyer, and a microSD card from his residence, uncovered numerous additional videos,” the news release said. “These recordings depicted more individuals using the bathroom and also captured surreptitious video and oral interceptions of individuals, some of whom were in counseling sessions with Moyer.”

According to the dockets filed in his case, Moyer is currently free on $15,000 bail and is being represented by attorneys from Langhorne and Philadelphia.

Moyer is scheduled for formal arraignment in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown on June 30 at 11 a.m.

Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty. This story was compiled using information from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and Bucks County court records.