VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A locally-based massage therapist convicted of sexually assaulting a client during an appointment will spend more than a decade behind bars.
47-year-old Christopher Santos Orlina of Virginia Beach was sentenced Monday on a charge of Object Sexual Penetration. A judge sentenced Orlina to 30 years in prison with 18 years suspended.
Orlina will serve 12 years in prison and must register as a sex offender for life.
News 3’s Margaret Kavanagh first mentioned Orlina’s case in a special report on local women who said they were violated by medical professionals in Virginia Beach. Several supporters contacted News 3 claiming Orlina was wrongly convicted.
After a trial in early August 2018, evidence showed that on August 15, 2017, a woman in her early 20s went to Orlina’s office for a massage to help relieve the shoulder pain she was experiencing. During the massage, Orlina touched the victim in her private area without her consent.
Orlina continued despite the victim repeatedly telling him to stop. The victim was eventually able to get up and leave, and Orlina apologized to her for what he had done.
During a phone sting conducted by police and the victim a few days later, Orlina did not deny what happened and apologized to her again. Orlina admitted in an interview with police that his finger “slipped” into the victim’s private area.
Orlina has no criminal record.
