MIAMI – Officers arrested a man Wednesday they accused of sexually assaulting a man last year — while working as an app-based massage therapist.
The 30-year-old victim told police he was a regular user of the Soothe app, which allows users to request the services of a massage therapist, cosmetologists, and estheticians.
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He said he requested a deep tissue massage on Oct. 31 and a masseur he didn’t know arrived at his home at 8:40 p.m. and set up a massage table in the living room, according to the arrest report.
When the massage service allegedly turned into oral sex without his consent, he jumped off the massage table, ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and ordered the man to get out, according to the report.
The victim called the police. He also allegedly reported the crime to representatives of the Los Angeles-based Soothe app, which is marketed on Apple and Google Play as “the largest and most trusted on-demand wellness platform in the world.”
Detectives later identified the masseur as Victor Martin, who lives in Broward County’s city of Hollywood. State records show Martin was licensed by the Florida Department of Health from Sept. 13, 2011, to Aug. 31, 2023.
Officers arrested Martin, 30, after midnight on Wednesday at the Miami Police Department’s headquarters.
Miami-Dade corrections officers booked Martin shortly before 3 a.m., and they were holding him without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He is facing a felony charge of sexual battery.