A man accused of posing as a licensed massage therapist and inappropriately touching multiple women during massage sessions, including at a San Diego gym, was ordered Friday to stand trial on nine felony sex crime counts.
Prosecutors said Scott Christopher Preston advertised “lymphatic drainage massage” services on Groupon at discounted prices through his business, 360 Wellness and Consulting.
Preston, 55, was arrested last September and initially charged in connection with three women, but now faces charges related to a total of six women who were allegedly assaulted between July 2023 and last September. Preston was also a University City High School football coach at the time, but he is no longer with the school, and none of the victims are University High students.
Five of the six charged victims testified this week during a two-day preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court, which was held to determine whether Preston’s case would proceed to trial.
The women each testified that after finding the 360 Wellness ads on Groupon, they scheduled massages with Preston, most of which occurred at a gym on Dunbrook Road in Miramar.
Most of the women testified that they had never before received lymphatic drainage massages and didn’t know what to expect. During the initial consultations, Preston appeared knowledgeable and trustworthy, they testified.
Some of the women said they believed he may have touched them in an inappropriate place accidentally, but later believed something was wrong after doing more research into how lymphatic drainage massages are supposed to be conducted.
Another woman testified she received more than a dozen such massages from Preston, most of which were conducted normally, only for them to gradually become more and more inappropriate.
Some of the women contacted police directly, while others reached out to law enforcement after seeing the initial news reports regarding Preston’s arrest.
San Diego police officer Steven Gonzalez testified Preston claimed to have obtained a certificate through an online course to perform massages. Though a massage therapist certification number was included on his Groupon advertisements, Gonzalez said the state’s Massage Therapist Council Board denied issuing Preston a certificate or that he ever applied for one.
He also denied touching any women in inappropriate places on their bodies, whether intentionally or accidentally, Gonzalez testified.
Preston faces nine counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery while fraudulently representing that the touching serves a professional purpose.
He remains out of custody, with a trial tentatively set for May.
