Orem psychologist charged with secretly filming teen clients undressing

OREM — A Utah psychologist and author of a book on pornography addiction is facing criminal charges accusing him of convincing child clients to strip naked during sessions so he could secretly record them.

Robert Virgil Dindinger, 54, of Spanish Fork, was charged on Thursday in 4th District Court with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and two counts of voyeurism, a class A misdemeanor.

Dindinger is the owner of Utah Valley Psychology in Orem. According to his online bio, he works with people with disputes to create solutions, specializes in mental health and children, and wrote a book about recovery from pornography addiction.

The investigation began in 2023 when a woman reported to law enforcement that Dindinger was her psychologist when she was a teenager years earlier.

"(She) stated that she initially saw (Dindinger) for depression, anxiety and self-harm," according to charging documents. But when she also "disclosed a pornography addiction" to Dindinger, "the sessions … became exclusively about that."

During one session, Dindinger had the teen girl take her clothing off while he allegedly looked away, but he "made a comment suggesting that (he) could see her," and the girl "believed Dindinger had a camera or recording device that he was monitoring," the charges state.

The woman later told a co-worker about Dindinger and learned that another teen girl had reported being inappropriately touched by him, according to the charges.

A police detective was contacted and reviewed Dindinger's police records "and located three other reports of (him) inappropriately touching juvenile female patients. Two of the reports also included an allegation of (Dindinger) telling patients to undress and weigh themselves nude," the charges allege.

A search warrant was served at Dindinger's home. And while police were questioning him in his office, they "immediately noticed a camera hanging from a diploma," charging documents state. Two flash drives and multiple other electronic devices were seized.

Investigators reported finding child sex abuse material and two voyeuristic videos. One of the videos is of a teen girl in his office who is heard mumbling, "This is weird, this is so weird" and then begins undressing. The second video is also a girl who undresses and then weighs herself in his office, according to the charges.

One of the alleged victims asked Dindinger about a camera in his office, and he told her "that the camera was unplugged," the charges say.

Investigators identified five victims, but one woman declined to speak to officers, the court documents say.

A girl who was told to weigh herself without clothes thought it was odd because she had never mentioned a weight issue with Dindinger, according to a search warrant affidavit served in 2024.

"It should be noted that the victim also described several instances of Robert touching her thighs and legs while speaking with her about sexual scenarios of guys she thought were attractive. Robert would also kiss her forehead and cuddle her when he could. She did recall an instance in which Robert touched and squeezed her left buttocks while he spoke with her about guys her age she liked," the warrant states.

Dindinger was first licensed to practice as a psychologist in Utah in 2014. His license was placed on probation in 2023, according to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing, and in 2024 he was ordered "not practice in any form or manner as a psychologist, nor … engage in any other form or description of mental health care or personal counseling with members of the public, including activities described as 'life coaching,'" until the ongoing criminal investigation was completed.

Dindinger has been interviewed in KSL-TV news specials and reports, and he links to some of them on his website.

Related topics