Andrea Taylor told KIRO 7 that she went to LH Massage in Federal Way for a full-body massage and was sexually assaulted by a male masseur there for two hours.
Taylor and Detective Heather Castro, of the Federal Way Police Department, believe there could be multiple victims who haven't yet come forward.
"I know there's other victims out there," Taylor said, speaking from a lawyer's office this week. "Don't be scared. Don't be ashamed. It's not your fault."
According to documents filed in King County Superior Court, Xiaodong Yang is not even a licensed massage therapist, yet he admitted to working at LH Massage six days a week.
Yang, 49, was arrested and has been charged with two counts of indecent liberties, because another woman -- identified in charging documents as A.V. -- also made a similar claim to police against Yang.
A.V. told investigators that Yang assaulted her while her husband was being massaged in a separate room.
A.V., her husband and Taylor all identified Yang in a police photo lineup.
Taylor said investigators told her they'd "been trying to get this person, but nobody could identify him."
She said she was asked, "Are you sure you know who this person is?"
Taylor replied, "Yes, I will never forget who he is."
Yang is out of jail on bail. According to the police report, Yang "denied having any sexual contact with any of his clients." On Thursday, a man who answered the door at Yang’s home in Federal Way said Yang was not available for comment.
Workers at LH Massage would only tell KIRO 7 that Yang no longer works there.
The business is part of a chain of salons with multiple locations in the Puget Sound area and Southern California.
While Yang awaits trial, Taylor has also filed a civil complaint for damages against the LH corporation. Her attorney, Lawand Anderson, of L.A. Law and Associates in Seattle, told KIRO 7, she "absolutely" believes the business and its employees knew that Yang was allegedly assaulting clients.
"They just simply didn't care," Anderson said. "They wanted to make money and they were willing to put people's safety at risk to make money."
Castro said any other potential victims should contact her at the Police Department.
Meanwhile, Taylor has words of encouragement if there are more victims.
"If there's anyone else out there that he's hurt, that felt the same thing that I felt, that didn't want to believe it was happening to you, come forward," she said. "Hold him accountable for what he's done to you."
A lawyer working for LH Massage confirmed Yang no longer works for the company. In an email to KIRO 7, Glyn Lewis of Seattle questioned the “veracity” of Taylor’s claims and wrote “at no time prior to Mr Yang’s arrest were the owners of LH Foot Massage put on notice, or given a reason to suspect, that any worker at LH Foot Massage had sexually assaulted customers.”
Lewis and LH Foot Massage are “still conducting a preliminary investigation into the events that transpired around the time the sexual assault allegedly occurred.”
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