Monongalia County Massage Therapist Charged With Sexual Assault
A massage table is one of the few places where a stranger putting their hands on you is the whole point. That’s what makes an allegation like this one so hard to discuss. It’s also what makes it so easy for victims to stay quiet about.
Monongalia County investigators say a massage therapist crossed that line with a client in July.
What Deputies Say Happened
Marco Morici, 30, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, faces a charge of second-degree sexual assault following an incident reported at All About Massages in Pinecrest Plaza, according to reporting on the criminal complaint. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department investigated. Morici was being held at North Central Regional Jail on a $375,000 bond.
The complaint describes a client who had booked a scheduled appointment, who did not consent, and who signaled discomfort during the session.
Morici has been charged. He has not been convicted, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Investigators said other clients described similar conduct from Morici under similar circumstances.
A Business Can Be on the Hook Too
West Virginia licenses massage therapists through a state board, and sexual misconduct is grounds for discipline. A board can only pull a license. It can’t write a check to compensate victims.
That’s where civil law comes in.
People assume a business automatically answers for whatever an employee does on the clock. For an assault, that assumption usually fails. Courts generally treat an assault as a personal departure from the job someone was hired to do. That puts it outside the ordinary rules making an employer responsible for an employee’s conduct.
The way in is the business’s own conduct. Did it check the therapist’s background and license history before hiring? Did it supervise what happens in treatment rooms? Did it have any real process for handling a client complaint? And there’s the question that decides most of these cases: Had someone raised a concern before, and what did the business do about it?
That’s why the reporting from other clients carries weight. One allegation is one person’s account. A pattern is a problem, especially if it leaves a paper trail.
What a Civil Case Does That a Criminal Case Can’t
Once charges are filed, the criminal case belongs to the state. A survivor is a witness in the case, not a party to it. Nothing about the process is built to cover therapy or missed work.
A civil claim belongs to the survivor and follows a different path. The burden of proof is lower than in criminal court, which is why a civil case can move forward even when no criminal charges are filed.
Damages can cover counseling and medical care, lost income, and the kinds of harm that don’t generate an actual receipt.
West Virginia generally gives adults two years from the date of the assault to bring a personal injury claim, and different rules apply to anyone who was a child at the time.
How to Report It in West Virginia
Law enforcement handles the crime. In Monongalia County, that means the Sheriff’s Department or the police agency covering the city where it happened.
Licensing complaints go to the state board that regulates the profession, which can investigate a licensee and suspend or revoke a license. Sexual misconduct is a listed ground for discipline.
Both of these channels create a record, and records made closest to the event carry the most weight later in a civil action. Write down the date and time of the appointment, the name on the license, who you told about the incident, and what you told them. Keep any and all confirmation texts or emails if you still have them.
The legal team at Hendrickson & Long, PLLC, has represented West Virginia families against individuals and against the institutions that were supposed to be paying attention. If you or someone in your family is facing something like this, we would like to hear from you. Consultations are free and carry no obligation. You should not have to sort this out alone.
