A New London jury found massage therapist Joseph L. Baribeau guilty today of sexually assaulting a client during a massage at his East Lyme business in January 2014.

The jury of four women and six men deliberated for just over an hour in Superior Court before sending out a note that they had reached a verdict.

The victim, a stay-at-home mom who had hesitated to report the assault to police, hugged her sister when the verdict was announced. Baribeau remained silent and left the courthouse with his wife and other family members.

The 63-year-old Niantic resident, who returned to school and opened a massage business in 2004 following a 25-year career at United Parcel Service, faces up to a year in prison and a fine of as much as $2,000 when he is sentenced for fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor, on July 1. He also could be required to register as a sexual offender.

Baribeau had been free on a written promise to appear in court while his case was pending, but Judge John M. Newson ordered him to post a bond of $5,000 cash, which will be returned to him if he shows up for sentencing. Newson reminded Baribeau that he is to have no contact with the victim and ordered him to notify the state Department of Public Health, which issued his massage therapist license, of his conviction.

The victim had testified Monday that she had been receiving massages from Baribeau at Body Kneadz Therapeutic Massage and Wellness Center in Flanders Plaza for 2½ years. She said she was shocked when Baribeau touched her sexually while massaging her legs on Jan. 8, 2014. She said she hesitated to report the incident, but went to the police after speaking with close friends and her husband.

The East Lyme Police obtained a recorded phone call between the victim and Baribeau in which he seemed to confess, though he adamantly denied any wrongdoing during a police interview. On the witness stand at his trial, he said he thought the victim was accusing him of applying too much pressure and that he offered her a free massage in an effort to appease her.

The jury, which had to assess the credibility of the victim and Baribeau, learned this morning that Baribeau had been untruthful when he testified he had never had any significant interaction with police. Prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman successfully argued that she be able to confront Baribeau with a 2004 arrest for drunken driving even though the case had been dismissed. Asked about it on the witness stand, Baribeau said he had forgotten about the arrest.

"Many times he offered for your consideration that he had never had any involvement with police," Ferryman said during the rebuttal portion of her closing argument. "That's not true. He admitted in 2004 he had a custodial arrest. That's not something you wouldn't remember."

Ferryman declined to comment after the verdict but is expected to address the court at sentencing.

Defense attorney Michael A. Blanchard also declined to comment, except to note that the 2004 charge had been dismissed and was admissible at the trial "for impeachment purposes only" because of Baribeau's comments about no prior police interaction.

Blanchard is expected to argue at sentencing that prison time and registration as a sexual offender are not necessary in Baribeau's case.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN