GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A convicted sex offender accused of trying to restart an illegal massage business in Gwinnett County is back behind bars, with prosecutors warning a judge he remains a danger to the community.
“He was trying to find a loophole to touch people,” a prosecutor said during a preliminary hearing last Wednesday.
Prosecutors say Tarek Mentouri, 37, moved to Gwinnett County after serving prison time in Tennessee for groping clients during massage sessions.
They argue his latest arrest shows a pattern of behavior that never stopped.
“He is an inherent risk to society,” a prosecutor told the court.
Court records show Mentouri pleaded guilty in 2022 to sexual battery against three women during massages in Tennessee.
At the time, authorities say 19 women had come forward with accusations.
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After his release last summer, investigators say Mentouri relocated to Gwinnett County and began advertising illegal massage services without a license online using fake names.
Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office investigators say those ads led to an undercover operation.
Deputy Ariel Stewart testified that her team set up a sting that ended with Mentouri’s arrest on Jan. 7.
“Mr. Mentouri removed his shoes and his shirt and then began manipulating the skin of my undercover investigator, at which point we issued the takedown,” Stewart told the court.
Neighbors and his landlord had raised concerns even before the arrest.
His landlord, Rosie Marchal, said Mentouri was bringing people into his room at unusual hours.
“I told him to stop,” Marchal said in a previous interview. “I don’t want people coming in and out on my property.”
Despite objections from prosecutors, a judge last week granted Mentouri a $20,000 bond.
On Tuesday, investigators added five prostitution-related charges, alleging Mentouri offered sex acts as part of his illegal massage business.
He was never able to post bond before the new charges were added, and he remains in jail, now needing to post nearly $38,000 to be released.
The teen is accused of setting the street on fire.
“We have to divert our resources to focus on this when we could easily be using that to go after gangs, guns, and drugs,” Maldonado said.
Investigators arrested and charged Johnson with damage to property in the 2nd degree and conspiracy to commit a felony.
We checked court records, but there wasn’t an attorney listed for him. We also tried to reach out to him, but we haven’t been able to speak with him.