WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — A local massage therapist indicted in Wood County on one charge each of sexual imposition and practicing medicine without a license has pleaded not guilty.
Thomas Fong, 68, was arraigned in Wood County Common Pleas Court Tuesday and was released on his own recognizance.
According to a police report, the Nov. 16 indictment stems from an accusation that Fong inappropriately touched a client's genitals during a massage session at the client's Perrysburg home in April 2023.
The accuser told police she met Fong while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer at the Victory Center in Perrysburg and signed up for a "Reiki" massage session with him. She said Fong's demeanor was friendly at first and she became comfortable enough with him to allow him into her home for a session.
During the session, she said he asked her to remove her pants to avoid getting oil on them while massaging her legs for a recurring pelvic issue. The massage continued and he "proceeded to put his hand down her underwear and pinch on her vagina and press on it," according to a Perrysburg police report.
"She said she asked him what he was doing and he said he was loosening her muscles. She said she did not feel comfortable with it, and it ended and he left," the report states.
The accuser also told police Fong began breathing more heavily as he began inner thigh massages, kept asking her to "open her legs a little more" and was not wearing gloves during the session.
When scheduling the massage, she said Fong initially asked her to come to "the location on Central" for a "birthday 'gift session,'" meaning it would be free of charge. They then settled on the session at her home because her family was in town and she did not have much time.
Fong also faces one charge each of sexual imposition and practicing medicine without a license in Lucas County for separate incidents.