Two more alleged victims came forward after news of Leonard's arrest appeared in the press, the assistant prosecutor said
NEWTON -- A special education consultant, accused of having sexual contact with five young patients along with committing health care fraud, pleaded not guilty to all charges during a court appearance Thursday.
Troy R. Leonard, 31, of Franklin Lakes, made his first appearance in Superior Court in Sussex County since being charged Wednesday with two additional counts of sexual assault.
Last month, he was charged with three counts of sexual assault in cases involving three alleged victims. Authorities said Leonard, while acting as a behavior analyst, engaged in sexual contact with patients under the age of 18 at various locations around the state.
Leonard advertised himself online as an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist, but records with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board show he's not a credentialed behavior analyst.
Sussex County Assistant Prosecutor Seana Pappas said the additional charges involving two more alleged victims were filed after "information in the press led them to come forward."
Pappas said there were "five separate victims," all under the age of 18. She declined further comment on the case.
Bail for Leonard had been set at $325,000 after his first arrest, but after the two new criminal complaints were filed, Judge Philip Maenza added $200,000 each for the new cases, for a total bail of $725,000.
Leonard's attorney, Alfonse DeMeo, said his client had been unable to post the previous bail, and certainly couldn't pay a higher amount.
Judge Thomas Critchley said he would "consolidate" all the bails, setting the total figure at the original $325,000. Leonard remains in custody.
Critchley also issued an administrative restraining order, barring Leonard from having contact with any of the "complaining witnesses." He set the next court date in the case for Jan. 11.
The complaints lodged against Leonard last month stemmed from incidents that allegedly occurred between 2013 and 2015. The latest charges allege he had sexual contact with two young patients between 2011 and 2015.
Leonard is also accused of submitting fraudulent claims to insurance companies for treatment he didn't provide.
On Wednesday, Leonard was also charged with two additional counts of child endangerment and one additional count of health care claims fraud.
Overall, Leonard now faces 39 counts of health care fraud, and five counts each of sexual assault and child endangerment.
Leonard was arrested at his Franklin Lakes residence a month ago by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office and the Franklin Lakes Police Department.
Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.