Former massage therapist sentenced for sexual misconduct

A former massage therapy instructor who was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct has been sentenced.

The Great Falls Tribune reports 48-year-old Gene Watson was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison and a year and a half in the Cascade County jail.

The terms will run consecutively.

Watson was first accused in 2014 while he worked at the Montana Academy of Salons, and about a dozen women made complaints that led to a lawsuit.

Two other women came forward in January 2019 accusing Watson of raping them under the guise of legitimate massage therapy.