On August 29, 2023, massage therapist Daniel Leduc was criminally charged in Broward County with battery of a female client following a complaint to the Coral Springs Police Department. Daniel Leduc, 43, has been a licensed massage therapist in Florida since October 2008. An Emergency Restriction was placed on his license in October 2023 on account of this alleged crime.
UPDATE: Daniel Leduc pleaded no contest to the battery charge on March 26, 2024. He was adjudicated guilty, received 12 months probation, and ordered to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation. He was also directed to surrender his Florida massage therapy license within thirty (30) days.
According to the affidavit in the criminal case, on July 20, 2023, Leduc performed a massage on a female client at 5 Elements Wellness Center located at 10251 West Sample Road in Coral Springs, Florida. During the massage, Leduc allegedly massaged the client's upper thigh, then moved to her vagina above her clothing, and then moved her underwear to the side while he proceeded to massage the victim's clitoris (without penetration) for approximately one minute. The victim reported that she "froze" in shock, but when Leduc attempted to massage her breasts, she shouted "no," and Leduc stopped. The alleged victim also reported that she believed during the massage that Leduc positioned his body so that the victim could feel his erect penis with the back of her hand. The victim stated that when the massage ended, she heard Leduc mumble that he hoped what happened was okay. The victim didn't respond and kept her head down until he left the room. She then left the wellness center without tipping and reported the incident to staff at 5 Elements Wellness Center the following day. The victim filed a police complaint at the Coral Springs Police Department on July 22, 2023.
A police officer spoke to the owner of the massage establishment, Monique Rodriguez, about the incident and interviewed Leduc shortly after. When the police officer questioned Leduc about the complaint, Leduc's response was, "Probably because I got closer than she was comfortable with." Leduc initially denied the allegations; however, the officer shared that he knew of a prior Coral Springs Police Department case involving Leduc and a similar allegation when he was employed at Massage Luxe in Coral Springs. Leduc then confirmed the allegation to be truthful. He told the police offer, "I thought I was giving her what she wanted," and suggested that the victim's body language emphasized that she wanted her vagina massaged. Leduc stated that when he got closer to the area, she opened up her legs more. Leduc stated that he lost himself in the moment based on the connection he thought they had and believed he wanted her to do a "favor." Leduc denied touching the victim with his penis and suggested she may have felt a bottle of massage lotion.
Leduc's employment at 5 Wellness was terminated. As mentioned in the police report, there was a previous complaint made by a female client with similar allegations involving the defendant "grazing" his hand across the victim's vagina while working at Massage Luxe (4637 N University Drive, Coral Springs).
When patients book a massage, it is to decompress and relax. The massage therapist-patient relationship is founded on mutual trust. Clients trust that the massage therapists employed at a spa are carefully vetted and safe. Any violation of that trust requires swift action, as it is both unacceptable and unlawful for a massage therapist to touch a client in a sexual manner.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual assault lawsuits against massage therapists on behalf of clients who were sexually assaulted during massages at day spas and resorts. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery during a massage, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation.