Former owner of Salem massage business sentenced to probation for assault - Statesman Journal

[Isabel Funk]

(This story has been updated to include new information)

A Salem man who ran a massage therapy business pleaded guilty April 10 to attempted coercion and assault and was sentenced to 18 months probation in Marion County Circuit Court.

Ricardo Perez Figueroa, 61, was arrested Nov. 30, 2023, at Massages Perez in northeast Salem on initial charges of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration. He was later indicted on an additional three charges of first-degree sexual abuse. On April 10, he was arraigned on an amended indictment on charges of attempted coercion to abstain and fourth-degree assault and pleaded guilty to those charges.

The charging document said Perez Figueroa attempted to compel the victim "to abstain from engaging in conduct in which (she) had a legal right to engage." It said he prevented her from "getting up and leaving" by making her fear that he would cause physical injury to her. It also charged him with knowingly causing physical injury to her.

Perez Figueroa did not speak at the hearing April 10. The 69-year-old victim chose not to attend, prosecutor Matthew Estrada said.

Estrada asked the court to suspend imposing a sentence and place Perez Figueroa on bench probation for 18 months, pay a $100 fine for each charge, serve 80 hours of community service and not have contact with the victim. Bench probation is unsupervised, meaning the defendant reports to the court probation clerk rather than a probation officer.

Defense attorney Tiffany Humphrey asked the judge to consider time served instead of community service for the 22 days Perez Figueroa spent in jail. She said Perez Figueroa receives dialysis treatment three times per week that takes up the entire day and he does not drive or have a job.

Judge James Edmonds chose not to impose the community service hours.

The victim said Perez Figueroa held her down with one hand while forcefully assaulting her with the other during a September 2023 massage, according to the probable cause statement for his arrest. She said the assault caused pain and bruising, according to the statement.

After the massage, she texted him to confront him. Perez Figueroa apologized, saying he's "a changed man and is seeking God," according to the statement.

In an interview with police, Perez Figueroa said his hand slipped and he touched her accidentally during the massage, blaming her for moving and not listening to what he was telling her to do, according to the probable cause statement.

Perez Figueroa established his business in the northeast Salem market La Pulga de Salem in February 2023. It was dissolved in April 2024, according to state records.

A search of the Oregon State Board of Massage Therapists licensees did not return any results for Perez Figueroa or Massage Perez. A Facebook page that appeared to be for Massages Perez said Perez Figueroa had three decades of experience. The Oregon State Board of Massage Therapists said in an email Perez Figueroa "has never been a licensed massage therapist in Oregon."

Jeff Van Laanen, the compliance and licensure manager of the board, said it was made aware of the allegations against Perez Figueroa and completed an investigation. The investigation concluded Perez Figueroa violated Oregon laws and rules regulating massage practices and issued civil penalties of $7,000 in February 2024. Perez Figueroa inquired about a hearing to contest the findings, but failed to officially request one in a timely manner, Van Laanen said. The case will be now sent to collections if the penalties are not paid.

Perez Figueroa was originally scheduled to go to trial Feb. 13. The trial was canceled, however, because Perez Figueroa misunderstood when it was scheduled due to a language barrier. He also had dialysis treatment on Feb. 14 that could not be missed, according to court documents.

Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk