A Cuban-born massage therapist was arrested and charged with sexual assault after inappropriately touching a client at a Massage Envy establishment in Kendall, in southwest Miami-Dade.
Although the incident dates back to May, the man appeared this week in the county's criminal court.
According to the arrest report -cited by America Tevé- the victim fell asleep after the massage, and at that moment the man inserted his fingers into the woman's vagina.
The detained individual, 57 years old and identified as Rigoberto Cadavieco, was arrested after authorities received a report from a woman who stated that in May she visited a Massage Envy location in a shopping center at 90th Street and 107th Avenue in the southwest of the county, where she received a massage from the accused.
The victim, who is 45 years old, reported that after the session she fell asleep, and upon waking up, she noticed that someone was touching her.
Upon being arrested, the man denied the allegation; however, DNA traces from the accused were found in the victim's intimate areas after an analysis was conducted.
Cadavieco appeared in court this Thursday charged with sexual assault, and his defense requested that a standard bond be set.
Since the alleged victim is over 18 years old and there were no injuries, a bond of $10,000 was set for Cadavieco.
Furthermore, while the case remains open, the accused will not be able to work as a masseur.
Background
In the last year and a half, at least two other similar cases involving Cubans and Massage Envy locations have come to light.
At the end of June, a 53-year-old massage therapist of Cuban origin was arrested by Miami police, allegedly for touching a woman's intimate areas during a massage and then offering her money to keep quiet about what happened.
In that case, the defendant J.C.D.Ll. was arrested at the Massage Envy location in Mary Brickell Village at 900 S. Miami Ave.
When questioned by the police, the masseur defended himself by arguing that he felt that the 28-year-old woman, who was his client, was seducing him, and "it was then that he may have touched her vagina unintentionally."
In February of last year, another Cuban massage therapist, D.D., aged 47, was accused of an alleged sexual assault at a Massage Envy location in Hollywood, in Broward County.
The incident occurred on January 22, 2021, and was reported to the police afterward. The arrest report was filed on May 13, 2022. Although the man moved to Texas, he was arrested in that state and extradited to Broward.
The victim told the police that she stayed in her underwear for the massage and covered herself with towels. According to the woman, everything was normal during the first 45 minutes, but then D.D. allegedly asked if he could massage the inner part of her thighs, to which she would have agreed.
Shortly after, the masseur made inappropriate touches and caresses on different parts of her body, while also making comments and asking questions.
The alleged victim claimed that she did not tell the staff what had happened because she did not feel comfortable discussing it. She decided to report the incident to the police and the Department of Health after speaking with her boyfriend and a friend.
"Massage Envy is committed to promoting a safe environment for members, guests, and service providers at each of its approximately 1,100 franchised locations across the country. We urge anyone who experiences anything other than a safe and quality massage to report it immediately to the franchise location so it can be investigated," said a spokesperson for the business.
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