The State of Iowa has sanctioned a massage therapist whom it unwittingly licensed in 2018 despite a history of sex crimes.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy has issued a warning to Abelardo “AJ” Rodriguez of Iowa City and suspended his ability to practice for five years, after which he can apply for reinstatement.

The available public records show that last year the board issued an emergency order suspending the license of Rodriguez, citing a complaint from a female patient who alleged Rodriguez touched her inappropriately during an appointment.

The board also alleged that when Rodriguez applied for a massage-therapy license in 2018, he failed to voluntarily disclose his 2012 and 2016 criminal convictions for harassment.

Court records indicate that in September 2015, a woman complained to Iowa City police that Rodriguez had been sending her unwanted messages on Facebook, as well as “multiple lewd photos of himself.” On Nov. 30, 2015, he allegedly came into the victim’s place of employment and exposed himself to her on two different occasions. Court records indicate that the case resulted in Rodriguez pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassment.

According to the board, Rodriguez later obtained a massage therapy license from the state and began working at Rodriguez Bodywork in Iowa City.

During a massage appointment in March 2023, he allegedly massaged the breasts of a female client for 15 minutes without the woman’s consent. The board alleges that Rodriguez had previously told the woman he was certified in full chest and breast massage and presented her with a consent form to sign if she was interested in the service. The woman declined.

According to the board, Rodriguez later admitted to a board investigator that he massaged the woman’s breasts but said he did so with the woman’s oral consent. He allegedly stated that he had intended to get the woman’s written consent but neglected to do so.

It was when the woman’s subsequent complaint to the board was being investigated that the board concluded Rodriguez had intentionally withheld or misrepresented information about his past criminal convictions. The board said information about those crimes, if disclosed, “may have impacted his ability to become licensed” in Iowa as a massage therapist.

It’s not clear why the board didn’t learn of the criminal convictions in 2018 when Rodriguez applied for a license. The arrests are a matter of public record and details of at least one of the cases are readily available through Iowa Courts Online.

As a result of the 2023 allegations, Rodriguez was charged by the board with improper sexual contact with a client, engaging in unethical conduct, fraud in procuring a license and engaging in conduct that subverts or attempts to subvert a board investigation.

The board also concluded Rodriguez’s conduct posed “an immediate danger to the public health, safety, and welfare” and voted to impose an immediate, indefinite suspension of his license, pending a final decision in the case.

In five years, Rodriguez will be allowed to apply for reinstatement by showing the basis for “the revocation of his license” – board documents refer to the sanction as both a revocation and a suspension — no longer exists and that reinstatement is in the public interest.

Prior to any reinstatement, Rodriguez must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and comply with any recommendations for treatment or training.