Conroe massage therapist gets 15 years for sexually assaulting clients, coworkers - FOX 26 Houston

[Sherman Desselle]

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - A former Conroe massage therapist, Jose Barajas Franco, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted on three counts of second-degree felony sexual assault.

Franco, 53, was also found guilty of one count of Class A misdemeanor indecent assault, with the charges stemming from multiple allegations of sexual misconduct at a Massage Envy location in the Greater Houston area.

RELATED: Houston-area massage parlor Massage Envy loses $1 million in sexual assault lawsuit

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office confirmed that Franco's convictions are linked to assaults reported by four women, including both clients and former employees of Massage Envy franchises. The case has garnered attention following a series of civil lawsuits and public reports.

Jose Barajas Franco

In October 2023, Fox 26 reported on a civil lawsuit filed in Harris County by a Conroe woman identified as T.G. The lawsuit alleges that Franco sexually assaulted her during an appointment on July 3, 2022, at a Massage Envy location on the 1100 block of FM 3083 in Conroe. The details in the lawsuit state Franco jumped onto the table, grabbed her hands, and began performing oral sex on the woman. The woman, a regular client, later tested positive for HSV-1, an incurable herpes infection, which she attributes to the assault.

Another woman claimed Franco inappropriately touched her during a session two weeks later at the same location and accused him of failing to use proper draping techniques, leaving her exposed on the table. The franchise, operated by Mack Miller of FBE Ventures, settled the lawsuit by paying the maximum insurance policy limit of $1 million to the two women.

SUGGESTED: Former Conroe employees expose alleged cover-up in Massage Envy sexual assault scandal

In December 2023, three additional women, including a former employee, came forward with similar allegations against Franco. In their lawsuit, the women alleged a cover-up by Massage Envy and its franchise owner, citing evidence of numerous complaints against Franco that were allegedly erased from the company's computer system.

Anna Greenberg, a trial lawyer with Blizzard Greenberg PLLC, criticized the handling of the allegations. "What the whistleblowers show is that there was an extensive cover-up to protect the brand and ensure that other unsuspecting women would not become aware of the danger," Greenberg said in December 2023. She also suggested that there could be more victims, as sexual assaults often go unreported.

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During a deposition in the civil case, Massage Envy franchise owner Mack Miller asserted that "male therapists face a disproportionate number of lawsuits within the industry."

Franco's sentencing hearing for the criminal case was held on August 30 in the 435th District Court, with Judge Patty Maginnis presiding. Fox 26 has reached out to Massage Envy and its franchise owner for comments on previous reports but has not received a response.

"What a rare act of justice finally," said trauma therapist Chau Nguyen. Nguyen says the numbers are staggering when it comes to perpetrators who walk free.

"For every 1000 perpetrators, 975 walk freely among us. Only 25 might do jail time. It's nice to see the wheels of justice work sometimes."

For more details on the latest assault claims involving a Houston-area Massage Envy location and to hear from the victims, click here.