Connecticut man created fake medical study to satisfy ‘fetish’

A reputable Connecticut party planner with a “fetish” for women’s abdominals allegedly crafted a creepy fake medical study that allowed him to caress and photograph his employee’s stomach for nearly a year.

Brian Casella, 35, was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault in connection to the convoluted scheme after one of his multiple alleged victims came forward in August, state police said.

“Casella stated that throughout his life he’s found ways to satisfy his fetish, and has compensated people with money to perform examinations on them,” a criminal complaint states.

The unnamed victim had been working for Casella’s popular events company, Vivid Events, for several months when he seized on an opportunity to exploit her digestive issues, which greatly limited her day-to-day life.

Knowing his employee was also working odd jobs in order to save for a home with her husband, Casella allegedly offered to sign her to a vague clinical trial that would pay her up to several thousand dollars for allowing him to record the sounds made by her stomach, according to the criminal complaint.

He also asked her to sign a contract preventing her from going after Vivid Events or talking about the study with his wife or her coworkers, who “would be jealous of the extra money she was making.”

The “tests” took place on an office floor at Vivid Events, which provides DJ services and other necessities for parties and other celebrations. Casella, the founder, describes himself on the company’s website as being known for his “classy approach to being an MC and a DJ.”

He initially used a stethoscope to listen to the woman’s exposed abdomen but quickly ditched the tool in favor of placing his bare ear on her stomach, she claims.

“As the sessions went by, Casella grew more comfortable with the victim’s body and began to lift clothing up on his own in order to check certain areas and touch other areas,” the complaint states.

After several months, the party planner allegedly escalated the ploy and encouraged his employee to take part in a “bigger study” that involved feeding her sleeping pills when they were the only two in the office.

The woman agreed, but secretly only took half a dose and pretended to be asleep “because she was afraid if she was asleep something would happen, and things did not feel right to her.”

Wearing scrub-style pants and only tape covering her nipples, the victim laid on the floor feigning sleep for hours as her event-planning boss took pictures of her, she claims.

She refused to take sleeping pills again and Casella allegedly agreed to pretend she was asleep in future trials, but once tied her down with Vivid Events zip ties in case she moved too much during a test.

The sessions — which went on for the better part of a year — ended with the party planner handing the employee an envelope filled with cash.

Casella also allegedly used various tools to make the study seem more realistic, including electrically conductive patches and sonograms, taking advantage of the opportunity to place the objects in close proximity to her genitals.

On her last session, the woman was finally driven to the edge when her boss wiped her vagina while cleaning up gel from a sonogram test, she claimed.

“She believed the tests were for her stomach only,” the complaint states.

The woman cut ties with the study and shortly after quit her position at Vivid Events.

After coming forward to police, she wore a wire to meet with Casella, where he allegedly apologized for making her uncomfortable and corroborated her accusations.

Cops then found more than 1,000 videos and photos of multiple victims during a search of Casella’s truck and office centering on an “abdominal fetish” that he allegedly developed in kindergarten.

He allegedly admitted to police that he acquired most of his victims by posting ads on Craiglist for his medical ploy, which the party planner said he had been doing “for years.”

“Casella admitted that he was lying to people while conducting such examinations, and stated he knew it was wrong,” according to documents.

Police are still seeking other victims who may have fallen for the party planner’s bizarre scheme.

Casella was released on a $10,000 bond and is due to appear in court on Nov. 29.