Masseur with criminal history cited for sexual impropriety with clients
Iowa's licensing boards are overseen by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. (Photo by Getty Images) State regulators have suspended the license of a massage therapist criminally convicted of assault for sexual improprieties with clients.
The Iowa Massage Therapy Board has alleged that Roy L. Milligan Jr. of Des Moines was practicing massage therapy at a massage studio in July 2022 when he massaged the breasts and nipples of a client without her consent. Police records indicate Milligan was working at Rebalance Massage Studio when the incident took place.
After the client complained, the board initiated an investigation and learned that the Des Moines police had received complaints from two other female clients. The two women alleged that in separate incidents in May 2021 and November 2021, Milligan massaged their breasts and twisted their nipples during massage appointments.
Milligan was subsequently charged with three counts of assault. He pleaded guilty to two counts and the third count was dismissed. He was fined $105 in each of the two cases where a conviction was entered.
On April 23, 2024, one year after Milligan entered his guilty pleas in court, the Massage Therapy Board determined it had probable cause to file disciplinary charges against him.
The board charged Milligan with unethical conduct related to improper sexual contact with a client, and being convicted of an offense that is directly related to the duties and responsibilities of the profession.
Recently, the board agreed to settle the case against Milligan by suspending his license for three years and issuing him a warning. Prior to any reinstatement of his license, Milligan will be required to undergo a psychosexual evaluation.
Milligan told the Iowa Capital Dispatch the allegations made against him were unfounded. “Nowhere in my life would I ever touch someone inappropriately or against their will or want them to feel uncomfortable,” he said.
Milligan said one of his three accusers had tipped him when she left, the second told police Milligan had never touched her inappropriately, and the third woman had touched him during the massage. “That person continued to, like, touch my leg and grab me and I had to pin their hand against the table,” he said.
Court records indicate Milligan was criminally convicted of several offenses before the board issued him a license in October 2014. In July 2001, Milligan was convicted of two counts of domestic abuse assault and one count of interference with official acts, and in 2003, he was convicted again of interference with official acts.
In 2005, he was charged with third-offense domestic abuse assault, but the charge was later dismissed. In 2007, he was charged with five counts of first-degree harassment. As part a plea deal, four of the five counts were dismissed, Milligan pleaded guilty to the fifth count, and he was sentenced to two years of probation.
Milligan said the board was fully aware of his criminal history at the time it agreed to issue him a license.
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