Florida mental health counselor Charles J. Friedlander loses license following conviction for child enticement

September 3, 2009

The Virginia Department of Health Professions suspended mental health counselor Charles Jackson Friedlander's license and privilege to renew and ordered that he return his Virginia license to the Director of the Board of Counseling. 

Friedlander, 78, who lived and practiced in Florida, was convicted March 27, 2009 of using a computer to attempt to solicit children for sex (child enticement).  According to testimony presented at trial, Friedlander used a computer to chat online with the father of two boys, ages 10 and 11, and wanted to arrange a meeting in which he was planning to physically and sexually abuse the two children.  The “father” was actually an undercover detective from the Pinellas County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office. 

On July 21, 2008, Friedlander, drove to the prearranged meeting location and was arrested. He was found to have leather straps and a riding crop in his vehicle--items he'd described to the detective during numerous sessions in an online chatroom, and discussed using to beat the children. 

He was sentenced July 22, 2009 to 10 years in federal prison followed by supervised release for life with conditions including random drug testing, DNA collection, sex offender treatment and sex offender registration.  He was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine in lump sum immediately.