A male massage therapist who confessed to sexually abusing four women during their sessions has been sentenced to two years in jail — and won’t be able to return to work until at least 2022.
Benjamin Thomas Collura, 33, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty earlier this month to sex abuse charges in connection to his time as a masseuse at River’s Edge Hotel & Spa and Massage Envy in Portland, Oregon, KPTV reported.
After his arrest in March, when a woman accused Collura of touching her vagina during a massage, five more women told authorities they were also sexually abused by Collura over a three-year span. Collura initially denied the allegations, but later confessed.
Prosecutor Jeff Auxier praised the courage shown by the victims — who were in their 30s and 50s — to come forward and notified authorities, knowing their allegations would ultimately be their word against his. Collura initially was charged with crimes against seven women, accused of touching their breasts and genitals while forcing them to touch his genitals, the Oregonian reports.
Collura, who had no prior criminal history, told authorities he was attending Portland State University while working as a masseuse.
Collura must register as a sex offender and serve five years of probation following his jail sentence. He must also turn over his massage therapist license during that probation period, according to a plea agreement.
Meanwhile, two of Collura’s former customers have filed lawsuits against him and his former employers, seeking $400,000 and $1 million, with one case scheduled for trial in May, the Oregonian reported.
According to the initial lawsuit, the 31-year-old customer said Collura led her into a private massage room in February and “took the occasion to sexually violate plaintiff with his hand” after a nearly complete massage that previously seemed “dignified and professional.”
The woman reported the alleged assault to Portland police and later received treatment for a cervical abrasion at a hospital, according to the lawsuit.