A Cuban-born massage therapist has been arrested and charged with sexual assault after allegedly touching a client inappropriately at a Massage Envy location in Kendall, located in southwest Miami-Dade. Although the incident dates back to May, the man appeared this week in the county criminal court.
According to the arrest report, cited by America Tevé, the victim fell asleep after the massage, at which point the man inserted his fingers into the woman's vagina. The 57-year-old suspect, identified as Rigoberto Cadavieco, was arrested after authorities received the woman's complaint. She reported that in May, she visited a Massage Envy establishment situated in a commercial plaza at 90th Street and 107th Avenue in the southwest area of the county, where she received a massage from the accused. The victim, aged 45, stated that she fell asleep after the session and woke up to find herself being touched.
Upon his arrest, Cadavieco denied the allegations; however, DNA traces matching the accused were found in the victim's intimate areas after she underwent an analysis. Cadavieco appeared in court this Thursday, charged with sexual assault, and his defense requested a standard bail. Given that the alleged victim is over 18 years old and there were no injuries, a bail of $10,000 was set for Cadavieco. Additionally, while the case remains open, the accused is prohibited from practicing as a massage therapist.
Background
In the past year and a half, at least two other similar cases involving Cubans and Massage Envy locations have come to light. In late June, a 53-year-old Cuban-born massage therapist was arrested by Miami police, allegedly for touching a woman's intimate parts during a massage and then offering her money to keep silent about the incident. In this case, the accused, Jorge Cardenio Destrades Llanes, was detained at the Massage Envy location in Mary Brickell Village at 900 S. Miami Ave.
When questioned by police, the massage therapist argued that he felt the 28-year-old client was seducing him, and "that might have been when he accidentally touched her vagina." In February of the previous year, another Cuban massage therapist, 47-year-old Danis Delgado, was accused of an alleged sexual assault at a Massage Envy location in Hollywood, in Broward County.
The incident occurred on January 22, 2021, and was reported to the police afterward. The arrest report was filed on May 13, 2022. Although the man had moved to Texas, he was arrested there and extradited to Broward. The victim told police she remained in her underwear for the massage and covered herself with towels. According to the woman, everything was normal during the first 45 minutes, but then Danis Delgado asked if he could massage her inner thighs, to which she agreed. Shortly after, the massage therapist allegedly made inappropriate touches and caresses on various parts of her body while making comments and asking questions. The alleged victim claimed she did not tell the staff what had happened because she felt uncomfortable discussing it. She decided to report the incident to the police and the Department of Health after talking to her boyfriend and a friend.
"Massage Envy is committed to promoting a safe environment for members, guests, and service providers at each of its approximately 1,100 franchised locations nationwide. We urge anyone who experiences anything other than a safe and quality massage to report it immediately to the franchise location so it can be investigated," a business spokesperson said at the time.