Massage Therapist To Plead Guilty To Sexual Assault Of Patients

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Silver Spring man accused of sexually assaulting two of his customers at a Washington, D.C. Massage Envy plans to plead guilty Friday, according to reports.

Habtamu Gebreslassie, 24, is accused of sexually assaulting two women at the Tenleytown spa in August and September.

Gebreslassie allegedly performed oral sex on his clients without their consent during their massage session at the Massage Envy at Massage Envy at 4926 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

WTOP reports that Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Williams and defense attorney Sweta Patel filed a document saying Gebreslassie will enter a guilty plea in D.C. Superior Court.

Gebreslassie faces one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a patient or client and one count of second-degree assault. The lawyers did not clarify what charges he is planning to plead guilty to, WTOP says.

At least two other people accused Gebreslassie of sexual assault, but he has not been charged in either of those cases.

See Related:

• 'Violated, Scared': DC Massage Envy Assault Victim Speaks Out
  
• Virginia Massage Envy Client Writes About Sexual Assault
• Woman Files $25M Lawsuit Against Massage Envy, Masseur
  
• Second Victim Accuses DC Massage Therapist Of Sex Assault
  
• DC Massage Therapist Arrested For Sexually Assaulting

Gebreslassie was arrested Sept. 17 and has been held without bond. On Nov. 27, BuzzFeed News published a report that over 180 women have accused massage therapists from the popular chain of sexual assault.

BuzzFeed cited court records, police reports and other complaints from women who reported being groped and penetrated by massage therapists at Massage Envy locations across the country.

One of Gebreslassie's alleged victims, who initially filed a $25 million lawsuit under the pseudonym "Jane Doe," decided to come forward publicly after the BuzzFeed report and spoke about the lawsuit at a press conference held at Cohen & Cohen P.C.

Tara Woodley, a married woman in her 20s, said Gebreslassie performed oral sex on her against her will at the Tenleytown spa. She sued, stating Gebreselassie assaulted her in the final 15 minutes of her 90-minute massage on Sept. 17. at the Tenleytown business.

"It is almost impossible to express how violated I felt and how scared I was," Woodley said at the news conference. "I felt deep shame and embarrassment about what happened to me."

Woodley said she had only been to a Massage Envy spa once before in Los Angeles. She and her husband had just moved to DC and she decided to treat herself to a massage once she found a job. She said she decided to come forward in wake of the recent sexual assault allegations in Hollywood and politics, and that it is one of the hardest decisions she has made.

Personal injury attorney Kim Brooks-Rodney, with the Cohen and Cohen law firm, said Massage Envy received prior complaints of a similar nature about Gebreselassie before Woodly went to the spa. Gebreselassie worked at the Bowie location and was allegedly moved to the Tenleytown spa after a client accused him of sexual assault.

"This lawsuit is about change. It's about making day spas safe, it's about never again (happening) to another woman," Brooks-Rodney said at the news conference.

Woodley said at the news conference that she asked Gebreselassie how long he had been a massage therapist because he looked so young. He allegedly said to her: "Not long, but I'm a very good therapist."

Gebreselassie allegedly moved the sheet that was covering her during the massage and made inappropriate oral sexual contact with her. She was taken to the hospital, where she was given tests to determine if she contracted any sexually transmitted infections. She will not know whether she contracted any infections "for quite some time," a statement from the law firm said.

At the news conference, Woodley said she told Gebreselassie the massage was finished and asked him to leave the room. He allegedly then got on his knees, grabbed her hand and begged her not to tell anyone.

"He kept using my name," Woodley said. "Please, Tara."
Gebreselassie allegedly whispered "I'm sorry" to her as he left the room. She then went outside and called her husband, who urged her to call police. She later saw Gebreselassie get arrested at the spa.

"He was on a trend. Basically, every month, he was targeting somebody, and I was September," Woodley said at the news conference. "So, I thank God that it happened to me, that my husband encouraged me to call the police, and that it won't happen to a November woman or December woman."

>> See the court-filed Massage Envy lawsuit here.

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