Masseur At Fontainebleau Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault

MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – A 27-year-old massage therapist at the Lapis Day Spa at the Fontainebleau Hotel was arrested by Miami Beach Police for allegedly sexually assaulting a customer.

The alleged sexual assault happened on September 23rd when Francisco Araica of Miami was giving a massage to a customer. The victim was allegedly assaulted by Araica, but managed to stop the assault.

When the assault stopped, the victim said she was fearful of Araica and began talking to him because they were alone to find out why he did what he did, according to Miami Beach Police.

According to the police report, Araica became visibly shaken, had broken speech and began to breathe heavily and told the defendant he had never done anything like this before but "she was so beautiful."

The victim told police she thought if she kept Araica distracted, he wouldn't try to assault her again. According to the police report, after about 10 minutes talking with Araica, he left the room. The victim then left and contacted police. She picked Araica out of a photo lineup.

Araica turned himself into police Thursday evening.

The Fontainebleau issued a statement on the alleged assault Friday:

"The safety and well-being of our patrons, guests and Team Members is our primary concern at Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and our Security and Operations teams work diligently to ensure a safe and comfortable environment. Fontainebleau does not comment on guests, as per hotel policy, but the resort is cooperating fully with the Miami Beach Police Department, as well as conducting its own internal investigation."