Former massage therapist Anthony Brian Robinson, who worked at Mandara Spa in Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, entered Alford pleas to sexually assaulting two clients, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.
Suspects who enter Alford pleas do not admit guilt but accept there is sufficient evidence to convict and agree to be treated as guilty.
The 45-year-old Clyde resident was sentenced in Jackson County Superior Court on June 1 for two counts of sexual battery.
He received two concurrent suspended sentences of 18 months in prison, plus probation. Robinson was ordered to submit to a mental health assessment and a sexual abuse assessment with the requirement that he comply with treatment recommendations.
The convictions mean Robinson is now listed for at least 10 years on the state’s publicly available and searchable sexual-offender registry.
Robinson assaulted one woman on April 21, 2018, when she was in a massage room. She told the manager of the salon and requested the police be contacted; hotel security was called instead.
The victim dialed 911 to request Cherokee Indian Police.
He assaulted another woman on Aug. 31, 2018, also in a massage room. She contacted Cherokee Police Department, which handled both investigations.
Assistant District Attorney Christina Matheson prosecuted the case.