A South Bay boxing instructor has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two customers and trying to extort an employee.
Trastan Arfi, who runs YBX Fitness in downtown San Jose, is facing felony charges of sexual battery and extortion, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's announced on Friday.
Investigators said the 42-year-old boxing instructor extorted one of his own employees by demanding she send nude photographs to him in order to get her paycheck. Arfi also allegedly offered free massages to two of his female clients but instead ended up groping them at his gym.
"Once the defendant had gotten them into a place of isolation, he began to touch them in a sexually inappropriate manner," Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Aidan Welsh said. "He touched them under the clothing and over the clothing. He restrained one of the victims."
Arfi is also accused of attempted extortion. The DA also claims Arfi demanded his employees sign non-disclosure agreements.
Investigators note NDAs are not valid in California if a crime is committed.
NBC Bay Area made contact with Arfi outside of his gym on Friday morning and claimed he is innocent.
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"What do you want me to say?" Arfi said. "I didn't do anything."
A gym employee who did not want to be named said they did not believe the accusations against Arfi.
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"I know him," the employee said. "He's a good person. I've worked for him for a year now and I'm a pretty good reader of people, and I know for sure that's not his personality. It's not something he would do."
Arfi's attorney, in a statement, said that his client denies all of the allegations against him and that "we look forward to defending him against these baseless claims in a court of law."
The DA said Arfi is already a sex offender after being convicted in 2019 of lewd acts with a minor at another boxing gym in Menlo Park. The DA also believes there could be more victims in this case and asks those people to come forward.
"No matter what, we know these three women came forward separately, and we want to thank them for their extraordinary courage in coming forward and allowing us to hold this serial offender accountable," Welsh said.
Arfi will be arraigned in court on Dec. 23. He faces five felony counts of sexual battery and two felony counts for attempted extortion.
