An employee accused of sexually assaulting a female customer at a Massage Envy in Ventura was charged with sex crimes Friday, authorities said.
Anthony Wearing, 29, of Oxnard, was charged with felony forcible digital penetration and sexual battery by restraint, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The woman contacted investigators on Saturday night and reported being sexually abused near the end of her 90-minute massage on June 8 at the location on Mills Road, according to the Ventura Police Department.
Wearing had only been employed there for a week at the time of the incident, the District Attorney said.
Ventura Police arrested Wearing the same day after finding evidence to corroborate the victims’ account, and he was arraigned on the charges on June 13, authorities said.
Wearing is being held on $100,000 bail, public booking records showed.
Massage Envy has been the subject of controversy after 2017 reports of at least 180 female customers accusing male massage therapists of groping and penetrating them while on the massage table.
That year, the massage chain said that it will strengthen background checks for its massage therapists and help customers report incidents to law enforcement agencies.
Prior to coming to Ventura, Wearing worked as a massage therapist in the Sacramento area and at a Massage Envy in Hermosa Beach, the DA said.
He had been a licensed massage therapist for the past two years and detectives believe there may be other victims out there.
Anyone who believes they are victim were encouraged to contact Ventura Police detective Alyse Quiroz at 805-339-4413.