A Long Beach massage therapist was able to keep working at a local spa even though he was a convicted sex offender and at least one woman left a Yelp review saying she’d been assaulted while getting a massage, police allege in newly revealed court documents.
Long Beach police last month alerted the public about Victor Carlos Flores, 36, whom they said may have sexually assaulted multiple women while he worked at La Dolce Vita Spa on East Broadway.
Detectives started investigating Flores in March after a woman told them he’d touched her inappropriately during a massage.
According to court documents, detectives discovered Flores hadn’t had a valid massage license since his expired in 2016. And in 2017, he was convicted of oral copulation with a person under 18 years, according to detectives.
Despite this, he was able to keep working at La Dolce Vita. Since as early as 2023, at least one woman had already tried to raise the alarm.
In a Yelp review, she wrote that she’d been sexually assaulted by a massage therapist and was dismissed when she confronted the spa owner.
“I cannot believe this place hasn’t but [sic] shut down permanently, they should not be in business,” she wrote. “Please be careful, and I strongly advise you never go to this place.”
Police contacted the woman, and she identified Flores as the assailant when they showed her his picture, according to a search warrant detectives wrote seeking permission to search the spa.
Police then arrested Flores on April 16 and quickly sent out his photograph, asking any other potential victims to come forward.
Prosecutors have not yet decided what charges to file. Meanwhile, Flores is out of custody. After his arrest, he pleaded no contest to a charge that he failed to properly register as a sex offender and was sentenced to two years of probation.
It’s not clear when prosecutors may file charges related to the sexual assault accusations. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said the police investigation is ongoing.
La Dolce Vita Spa is also facing potential consequences. Police said the business was cited for having an unlicensed employee perform licensed services.
The spa’s owner, who identified herself only as Laura, said they are “fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities.”
She declined to answer questions about how long Flores worked at the spa and how he managed to hold the job despite being a convicted sex offender.
Laura said Flores was a “contractor” who “is no longer affiliated with our spa.”