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The Florida Department of Health suspended the professional license of a Cuban-born masseuse who was arrested in early March after being accused of inappropriate touching of a 17-year-old adolescent, that is, a minor, during a session at the spa of the Trump National Doral Golf Club, in Miami-Dade County.
Her license was suspended on April 23, according to court records obtained by Local 10 News.
The suspect, identified as Yasmina Ponce Rodríguez, 56 years old and a resident of southwest Miami-Dade, faces a criminal charge of lewd and obscene contact.
Victim's report and statement
The events took place on March 1, during a massage appointment with a teenage client, a regular at the spa and a member of the club.
According to the administrative complaint filed by the state Health Department, Ponce Rodríguez reportedly raised a curtain that was covering the child's buttocks, grabbed his private part, and "manually manipulated" it.
The victim told authorities that her immediate reaction was defensive: "she reacted by trying to push his hands away with a slap, at which point she ceased the act", according to the arrest report from the Doral Police Department.
The massage session continued, and Rodríguez asked the victim if he was "okay."
The two rarely spoke due to a language barrier, the victim said; therefore, there was no verbal exchange between them after the incident.
After finishing the massage, the teenager called his girlfriend, who was with the victim's mother. After discussing the incident, they decided to call the police.
The previous relationship between the client and the massage therapist was also highlighted in the official report, where it was detailed that the teenager had "previous sessions" with Ponce Rodríguez.
Arrest and defense of the accused
The Cuban massage therapist was arrested four hours after the alleged abuse, although during the arrest process "she denied the accusations, claiming that such an act never occurred between her and the victim."
The accused also claimed in court that she did not know he was a minor, and argued that "minors cannot be given massages without family supervision."
Yasmina Ponce Rodríguez was arrested, taken to the TGK jail, and released several weeks ago after paying a $2,500 bail, while the investigation against her continues in the relevant jurisdiction.
A hearing has been scheduled in your ongoing criminal case for May 21.
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