STATEN ISLAND — A therapist sexually abused three young girls during sessions inside his Dongan Hills office, prosecutors said.
Gilberto Suero, 49, groped and kissed the girls — ages 8, 10 and 13 — while giving sessions at his 1275 Richmond Road office in 2016 and 2017, according to his criminal complaint.
In one instance, Suero put the 8-year-old victim on his lap, kissed her then groped her underneath her clothes during a Dec. 23 session, prosecutors said
On April 6, Suero told the 13-year-old victim "You are so beautiful" in a session then groped her, according to court papers.
Suero — who also has an office in Bay Ridge — worked as a therapist for nine years and boasted experience working with adolescents on his Psychology Today page.
"I am an empathic, compassionate and nonjudgmental therapist with an honest eagerness to help," he wrote on the page.
Aside from private practice, Suero also worked as a social worker in I.S. 220, Sunset Park, from 2007 to 2016 and as a guidance counselor in P.S. 170 in Bay Ridge until last week, ABC 7 reported.
A spokesman for the Department of Education did not respond for a request for comment.
Suero was arrested Friday and charged with forcible touching, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child at his arraignment, the Staten Island District Attorney's office said. His bail was set at $50,000 bond, $25,000 cash.
His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment and his office line was disconnected Wednesday.
