Gym Owner Arrested On Sex Abuse Charges For Allegedly Groping Female Customer During Workout Sessions

Police in New York on Tuesday arrested the owner of a Manhattan gym for sex abuse against a female member who claimed the man touched her inappropriately last year during a workout session at the facility.

Ray Wallace, 40, was arrested and charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching after the woman alleged that he pulled down her pants and groped her while he took her measurements during a gym session.

The alleged incident occurred on Aug. 4. at the FIT RxN gym located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the New York Post reported.

A 30-year-old woman claimed that Wallace pulled her pants down and exposed her right buttocks during training. He then kissed her backside, she said. Wallace’s accuser filed a police report against him on April 24. NYPD Special Victims Unit arrested Wallace after calling him in for questioning.

The victim began visiting the gym in September for personal training and signed up for 10 one-on-one sessions with Wallace, the Post reported. She said she worked out at the location a total of four times.

"I felt a great, motivational vibe from the outset, and I was impressed by the studio’s cleanliness and equipment. The assessments and workouts were efficient. Then things took a turn, with Mr. Ray making comments like, ‘Your butt is amazing. I’m going to make it amazinger. Booty by Ray,’" the woman wrote in an online review of the workout center.

"But then it escalated to butt grabbing, jiggling, smacking. If you want to remind me to activate my glutes during a move, use words. Don’t lift up my shirt and tuck it into my high waist pants to have more access to it. I was there to workout, not be flirted with," she added.

During Wallace’s arraignment Tuesday, the judge handed down a restraining order stating that he cannot come into contact with the victim. Wallace’s lawyer Joe Murray said the gym owner has been an instructor for 20 years.