CONROE, Texas – Three more woman have filed a lawsuit, accusing a Conroe masseur of sexually assaulting them during appointments at a Massage Envy, as former employees allege the franchise covered up complaints about him.
Jose “Joe” Barajas Franco, 53, has been charged with sexual assault and indecent assault in Montgomery County related to two previous victims that KPRC 2 reported on in October. Those victims filed a civil suit and settled for $1 million.
The Conroe Police Department confirmed three more victims have come forward since the October story aired and a criminal investigation is ongoing.
“What he has done disrespects all of us,” said Cricket Degner, a former massage therapist who transferred from the Conroe location and recently left the company. “Management was negligent. They were not protecting the women. They were not protecting us.”
Degner says women complained about Franco almost every week. She mentioned a “sticky situation” and “numerous incidents” involving Franco in an email to franchise owner Mack Miller when she requested to transfer locations in February of 2022.
In the new lawsuit filed Friday, the three additional victims, identified only as “Jane Doe” are suing Massage Envy, Franco, and Miller’s company FBE Ventures, Inc., which operates two other locations in the area.
The women allege Franco inappropriately touched them during massages last summer, which is similar to the allegations made by the first two victims.
The women also say Franco failed to keep them properly covered during their massage sessions. All three women contacted police.
“She had seen the news and she wasn’t sure if it was the same therapist until his picture came up on the screen,” said Anna Greenberg, the attorney for the victims who all found out they weren’t alone after KPRC’s coverage of the settlement in October. “He was allowed to proceed unchecked because they just buried all of these complaints.”
The lawsuit states that multiple former employees reported receiving dozens of similar complaints about Franco, but FBE Ventures, Inc. kept him employed, prior to his termination in July of 2022.
“Although the Massage Envy policies list improper draping as a ‘zero tolerance offense’ that is grounds for termination, FBE continued to employ Franco and simply ‘retrained’ him on his draping technique after each complaint,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit claims Massage Envy doesn’t require franchisees to report sexual assault allegations to law enforcement or state regulatory boards, but instead to initiate internal investigations.
“Dozens of women who said they did not want to be seen with him,” said another former employee, who asked to not be identified.
She claims the notes she took on complaints made by Conroe clients didn’t get very far with management.
“We would go back to go look what happened with the situation that happened last week and my notes would be deleted,” she said.
“It is clear to me that franchise owner Mack Miller enabled a predator by ignoring a cascade of complaints about this therapist,” Greenberg wrote in a statement. “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.
A lawyer for Miller and FBE Ventures, Inc. told KPRC 2 they have no comment.
Massage Envy has not responded to a request for comment.
Greenberg said she was surprised to hear from more victims but is worried there may be even more. Her message to anyone thinking about visiting a Massage Envy location: Think twice.
“They put protecting the company and the brand ahead of protecting women and their practices are such that they want to keep everything secret,” Greenberg said.
Franco is currently out on bond while awaiting trial for the two criminal charges in Montgomery County. Charges have not been filed involving the three additional victims who have come forward. State records show his massage license is still current.