A 45-year-old man from New Rochelle has been charged after pretending to be a professional masseur and sexually assaulting a woman. The incident reportedly took place in the man’s illegal home massage and therapy office, according to the New York Post.
Ascencion Rojas-Quinterio has been charged with a third-degree criminal sex act and unauthorized practice of a profession, both of which are felonies. The authorities showed up at his home Friday night and arrested Rojas-Quinterio.
However, the authorities are investigating whether other clients have fallen victim to the man’s scheme.
New Rochelle police said Rojas-Quinterio has been “accused of performing a criminal sex act on an unsuspecting victim during a session.”
“Rojas-Quinterio is believed to have developed a client base for his unlicensed business and was preying on female clients out of his Church Street home that he utilized for his business,” the authorities said.
Rojas-Quinterio is reportedly being held at the Westchester County Jail on $1,000 bail. He is due back in court on March 22.
In 2021, a former North Nashville massage therapist was arrested after pretending to be a licensed professional, according to the Tennessean. Tarek Mentouri had his massage license taken away in August 2020 by the Tennessee Massage Licensing Board after he was accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
He was ultimately released from jail soon after the arrest.
However, in 2022, Mentouri was sentenced to six years in prison after 25 women went to the police about being sexually assaulted by him. He admitted to the sex crimes in November 2021.
While Mentouri attempted to weasel his way out of a prison sentence, he ultimately agreed to spend six years behind bars after 12 charges were dropped in the case.
Peyton Parker — one of the victims in the case — said she did not accept Mentouri’s attempt at an apology because it did not seem genuine.
Throughout the trial, Mentouri seemed to joke about what he had done, eventually saying, “I don’t speak English,” when he was asked to apologize to the women he assaulted.
Mentouri also suggested that he had started taking yoga classes while behind bars and was trying to find “inner peace.” He went on to note that he had found a Christian halfway house to move into if he was released early.
“I’ve been trying to better myself in many ways since I’ve been in jail, finding God again,” Mentouri said.
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