On May 14, 2024, massage therapist Jonathan Schwartz was arrested and criminally charged in Broward County with multiple counts of sexual battery and false imprisonment following complaints made to the Coral Springs Police Department. According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office booking report and affidavit, Schwartz was arrested following multiple reports by massage clients who allege Schwartz used his position to commit sexual assaults during massage sessions while working at Elements Massage, located at 1229 N. University Drive in Coral Springs, Florida.
According to the criminal complaint, on February 1, 2024, Schwartz performed a massage on a repeat client. This was about her seventh massage with Schwartz. During the massage, the alleged victim reported that Schwartz went under her underwear to reach her hip bone and touched her genital area with his fingertips. The victim also said that during the two massages prior to the last, Schwartz appeared to cross professional boundaries and got “too close” to her breasts and genitals, enough to make her uncomfortable. After her last massage with Schwartz, the alleged victim reported him to the staff at Elements and the Coral Springs Police. He was then terminated from his job at Elements Massage.
This was not the only report made against Jonathan Schwartz. According to the police report, there was another female who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Schwartz during a massage. According to media reports, she had previously been Schwartz’s client at Elements Massage and had seen him several times before he left the establishment. After he was no longer employed at Elements, she scheduled a massage session at his home in Coral Springs. During the session on April 28, 2024, the victim claimed that Schwartz began to inappropriately touch her, starting with her quads and moving to other areas. Despite her protests and attempts to stop him, Schwartz reportedly restrained her by placing his hand on her chest, telling her, “No, no, it’s okay.” She described feeling trapped and fearful of escalating the situation.
According to the media report, the victim detailed how Schwartz then digitally penetrated her, which forced her to close her legs and scream, “No!” She further recounted how Schwartz attempted to coerce her into performing oral sex, describing how he grabbed her head and tried to pull down his pants. Although she resisted, Schwartz reportedly continued to force her hand onto his erect penis, leading to a non-consensual act that ended with Schwartz ejaculating on the victim. She then recalls that Schwartz handed her a towel to “clean up” and told her she didn’t have to pay for the massage.
The alleged victim brought the clothes she had worn during the incident to the police, and the Crime Scene Investigators were able to conclude the stain tested positive for semen. This evidence and the two victim’s detailed statements formed the basis for the charges against Schwartz and identified a pattern of inappropriate behavior, according to police.
Schwartz has been criminally charged with sexual battery, false imprisonment, and battery. His bond was initially set at $261,000.
In addition, the Florida Board of Massage Therapy issued a Final Order accepting Schwartz’s surrender of his massage therapy license as discipline on his license. Schwartz, age 42, had been a licensed massage therapist in Florida since November 2019.
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.