Massage therapist pleads guilty to rape, indecent assault - Martha's Vineyard Times

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Former Edgartown massage therapist Sebastian Pattavina, 55, was sentenced to 2½ years in jail and 3 years of probation after he pleaded guilty to rape and indecent assualt and battery in Dukes County Superior Court Tuesday.

Pattavina pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault and battery and one count of assault and battery, for which he was sentenced to 2½ years in jail. He also pleaded guilty to one count of rape and three additional counts of indecent assault and battery, for which he was sentenced to three years of probation.

Pattavina took a plea deal brokered by his attorney, John Amabile, and Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Jessica Croker. Pattavina will serve 2½ years at the Dukes County jail. Pattavina, who plans to move to Connecticut after his release, will serve three years of probation, during which time he will have to participate in sex offender counseling, have no contact with his victims, forfeit his massage therapy license, and not work in a similar capacity, such as a yoga instructor. Pattavina will also have to register as a sex offender.

Croker said the commonwealth took into account the seriousness of the crimes, but also the fact that Pattavina has never been incarcerated.

Pattavina’s conviction comes more than 2½ years after he was arrested on four counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years old or over. He originally pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea to guilty Tuesday.

“I’m here to change my plea, and accept responsibility for my indiscretions,” Pattavina said.

The arrest stemmed from two separate sexual assaults at Mod Spa in Edgartown, Pattavina’s former massage studio.

One of the complaints was filed on Sept. 14, 2018, by one of Pattavina’s female employees at the Mod Spa. Pattavina offered her a massage during her first weeks of employment in August 2017, and then touched her inappropriately and without her consent.

The employee shared the incident with police two days after Pattavina sexually assaulted a female customer during a massage session on Sept. 12, 2018.

“These were touchings that went way beyond a normal massage,” Croker said.

When interviewed by police after the first two assaults, Pattavina admitted he should have asked the woman ahead of time, and went “too far” with her when massaging and doing hip stretching.

Following news of Pattavina’s arrest, three other victims came forward with stories that Pattavina sexually assaulted them in a similar manner.

Crocker explained that each woman had similar experiences with Pattavina. The common theme was Pattavina massaging them, exposing their breasts and genitals, and then touching them inappropriately.

One victim said she lived in an apartment next to Pattavina in 2014. After initially declining Patttavina’s offer for a free massage, she agreed to one. During the massage, Pattavina took off his clothing, stretched her body in ways that exposed her, and touched her inappropriately.

Another victim said she and her husband knew Pattavina for a long time, and would often get massages both on- and off-Island, but one time things went too far. At the Mod Spa, Pattavina moved her to expose her breasts, pushed his “erect penis against her,” and moved it back and forth against her head.

When asked by Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea if he committed those acts, Pattavina said he did.

Two of the victims submitted impact statements, and a third attended the meeting via Zoom to speak about her assault.

In emotional testimony, one of the victims said she was anxious and felt vulnerable to be reading a statement in front of the court, even on Zoom. “I feel scared, exposed, and uncertain. Ironically, these feelings flooding my body right now are the very same I experienced on that day when Sebastian violated me,” she said. “Sebastian, I trusted you, as did the other women. We made ourselves vulnerable to you in seeking a massage. You preyed upon us and took advantage of each of us.

“I’ve had guilt and remorse with myself in not using my voice and recording my assault that very day. I know now while I wasn’t able to use my voice on that day, my body signaled to you to stop, and I’m grateful for myself for that.”

The victim wondered if Pattavina took responsibility for what he’d done, and she hoped Pattavina could be helped.

Croker said that while it was one act per victim, each victim would carry the assault with them for the rest of their lives.

“All of these victims have been affected for the rest of their lives by these acts by Mr. Pattavina,” Croker said.