An unlicensed massage therapist accused of sexual battery is facing more charges after seven additional clients reported inappropriate contact when they went to his home for a massage, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Jose Garcia, 68, of Ruskin, was arrested and booked into a Hillsborough County jail on five counts of sexual battery, one count of battery and three counts of unlicensed massage practice on April 6, then released on bond April 11, according to jail records. He was arrested and booked on one additional count of sexual battery and one count of unlicensed massage practice on April 13 before again being released on bail April 14.
The Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that investigators determined Garcia also had sexually battered seven women between April 2021 and January 2022 and would face 10 additional counts of sexual battery and nine more counts of unlicensed massage practice.
Garcia told detectives he received massage training in Mexico. Investigators think he has been operating a massage business from his Ruskin home for at least 12 years, and they say that Garcia, who speaks only Spanish, predominantly served only Spanish-speaking clients, according to authorities.
Fourteen people total have come forward with allegations against Garcia, the agency said in a news release. The Sheriff’s Office said anyone else who thinks they may have been abused by Garcia can contact detectives at 813-247-8200.