WSMV4 Investigates Documentary: Predator: System Failure
Investigations revealed how 26 women filed police reports against predator over four years before he was arrested.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A four-year investigation by WSMV4 Investigates revealed gross mishandling of sexual assault complaints filed by women in Nashville. Our reporting exposed a flawed justice system that allowed a sex offender to repeatedly assault dozens of women, gaining national fame and notoriety in the process.
The investigation by WSMV4 Investigates uncovered 26 women filed police reports about Tarek Mentouri, a massage therapist, over a four-year period before he was arrested by metro police on sex crimes charges.
Following our reporting, Mentouri was indicted and ultimately pleaded guilty to six crimes, including felony sexual battery, as part of a plea deal that will place him on the sex offender registry and sentence him to prison for six years.
Mentouri also pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual battery, two misdemeanor assault/provocative contact charges, and one misdemeanor charge of criminal impersonation.
WSMV4 Investigates began investigating Mentouri in 2020, revealing that despite women filing police reports and contacting the state health department about accusations of sex crimes following massages or job interviews, he was not arrested nor was his license suspended.
It was only after WSMV4 Investigates exposed the details of the women’s claims was Mentouri at last arrested and had his license stripped.
In a jailhouse interview after his appeals were denied, Mentouri told WSMV4 Investigates even he was surprised that he wasn’t arrested sooner by metro police.
The documentary detailing our investigations was awarded two Emmys, for long-form writing and long-form editing.
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