LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- Could your massage therapist have a history of sexual battery? 4 In Your Corner has learned massage therapists accused of sexual battery may still work as therapists in Florida.
According to a Department of Health report, back in February, Marc Anthony DeTomaso, at the time a Massage Luxe therapist in Bonita Springs, put his hands down a female client's underwear and began to perform oral sex an hour into the Swedish massage.
Carlos Amador, a former therapist at Hand and Stone Massage in Mercado, could also lose his license. He's accused of attempting to pull down a female patient's underwear multiple times during the massage. The patient says Amador also grabbed her breasts and put his hands down her underwear before yelling for him to stop touching her.
Now, the Department of Health is issuing an Emergency Restriction Order on both DeTomaso and Amador. It's a move the DOH makes when they believe someone poses a danger to the public's safety. However, the restriction alone doesn't prevent a therapist from legally practicing. They're still allowed to practice but only when there's another licensed therapist in the room.
"I'm kinda flabbergasted by that. That's crazy," said Chris Rhine, a Naples Resident. "There's no reason they should be out here practicing,"
DeTomaso and Amador couldn't be immediately reached for comment on this story.
4 In Your Corner reached out to both Massage Luxe and Hand and Stone Massage and we're told they're no longer employed with them. Their final license status is pending a hearing with the state.
If you want to check the status of a health care professional's license or look up their prior complaints, click on this Department of Health link >>https://appsmqa.doh.state.fl.us/MQASearchServices/HealthCareProviders
