A California chiropractor who claimed his treatments could relieve pain and boost athletic performance is now facing prison time.
Fernando Juarez Gomez Jr., 46, of Oxnard, was sentenced to six years in state prison on August 14, according to a statement from Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. A jury convicted Gomez on June 24 of five felony counts of sexual battery involving four separate female victims.
Gomez owned Limitless Functional Therapy, a Ventura chiropractic practice that has since closed.
Prosecutors said he “inappropriately touched female patients in areas that were unrelated to legitimate treatment” during appointments between 2022 and 2024.
The case began to unfold after two patients reported that they had been sexually battered during appointments, according to the release.
Ventura Police Department detectives arrested Gomez at his business on March 21, 2024, and additional victims came forward with allegations once news of the arrest spread.
The court found Gomez had taken advantage of a position of trust to commit the crimes, an aggravating factor at sentencing. He also pleaded guilty to one count of battery involving a fifth victim.
“The defendant told these young women that his methods would eliminate their pain and help them achieve their athletic goals,” said Twyla Atmore, senior deputy district attorney with the office’s Sexual Assault Unit.
“Instead, he touched the most intimate parts of their bodies for his own sexual gratification under the guise of therapeutic treatment. The jury’s verdict and today’s sentence send a clear message that his behavior was unacceptable.”
None of the five victims has been publicly identified.
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