A prominent Twin Cities businessman appeared in court Tuesday on charges he molested an acquaintance's 10-year-old daughter at a posh Minneapolis health club.

William F. Wanner, 67, declined to comment on the allegations after a brief appearance to schedule his first hearing next Wednesday. Wanner has hired high-profile defense attorney Joe Friedberg to handle his case, but Friedberg was not in court Tuesday. When reached by phone, Friedberg declined comment.

Wanner is charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual conduct for allegedly touching the girl inappropriately on two occasions at the Minneapolis Club on 2nd Avenue S. in downtown Minneapolis.

Wanner is CEO of Wanner Engineering in Minneapolis, which manufactures industrial pumps, and is also a licensed attorney in Wisconsin. Wanner Engineering has an office in England and distributors in more than three dozen countries.

In the late 1980s, Wanner sold his father's patent for water purification to Brian Sullivan in exchange for a big stake in the company that would become the mega-successful Recovery Engineering. It was sold in 1999 to Procter & Gamble for $265 million. According to documents, Wanner served as one of the company's directors from 1986 to when it was sold, and as its board chairman between 1986 and 1994.

Sullivan, Wanner and Recovery Engineering's success were mentioned in a 1991 Money magazine article that includes an anecdote about how one of the company's $1,300 desalination kits helped a Miami couple survive on a raft at sea for 66 days after their boat sank in the Pacific Ocean.

Wanner was elected in 2007 to the board of UltiMed, a St. Paul company that owns and operates state-of-the-art medical device manufacturing facilities. At the time, UltiMed CEO Tom Erickson described Wanner as having a long history of turning companies into "incredible success stories."

Wanner graduated with a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Friends, family members and business associates would not comment on his case or did not return phone calls seeking comment on Tuesday.

Wanner lives in an affluent part of Wayzata, though his address was not listed on charging documents. In court, Wanner confirmed that he still lives at the Wayzata address.

Police examined surveillance video from the Minneapolis Club on Dec. 5 and Dec. 27. In the video, Wanner is seen touching the girl in a swimming pool and hot tub, and following her into the women's changing room, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court. The video also showed Wanner and the girl touching Wanner's groin area, the complaint states.

The incidents came to light when a woman swimming laps Dec. 27 witnessed the groping in the pool and reported it to club management, according to the complaint.

Minneapolis Club CFO Scott Omlid said that Wanner has been suspended from the club pending the investigation and can't be on its premises. The girl and her mother were guests of Wanner at the club, Omlid said.

The pool area where the incidents took place can only be accessed with the swipe of a member's card, and it is clearly under surveillance by video cameras, Omlid said.

The girl's mother had allowed Wanner to escort the girl to the club, according to the charges.

Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said investigators have examined all the evidence in the case, and urged anyone who has entrusted children to Wanner to be on alert. "If people have placed their child in a trusting relationship with the person, people should talk with their child to see if the child was victimized," Palmer said.

Anyone with information can call Minneapolis police at 612-673-2941.

Wanner is free on $500,000 bail. Authorities said his bail was set high because of his financial standing. They also confiscated his passport, fearing he would leave the country because of his financial means and international ties.

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391