Fake Doctor Operated A Dermatology Clinic In San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO – District Attorney George Gascón announced Friday the arrest of Carlos Guzmangarza, age 49, of San Francisco for practicing medicine without a license.
Guzmangarza, who has no medical license, faces felony charges for stealing the identity of a physician's assistant and performing invasive medical procedures on two victims without a license.
"The defendant put lives at risk by performing medical procedures he was not licensed or qualified to perform," said District Attorney Gascón.
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
"Impersonating a medical professional is a serious crime. My office will hold people accountable for endangering the lives of innocent people."
According to court documents, the defendant, Carlos Guzmangarza, operated a dermatology clinic on Mission Street in San Francisco called the Derma Clinic. He assumed the identity of a physician's assistant with a similar name as the defendant's and claimed that his clinic is operated by himself and a doctor.
According to court documents, in early 2010, one of the victims was searching for a doctor to perform liposuction on her abdomen and an eye lift. After receiving quotes from doctors in the area, she was referred to the defendant who agreed to perform the procedure for $3,000, a fee much lower than the other quotes she received.
The defendant picked up the victim at her house and drove her to his office for surgery, had her hold the IV bag for him during the procedure, and smoked a cigar while he performed surgery. A few days after the surgery, the defendant showed up at the victim's house with what he said was six pounds of fat that was removed from her liposuction and dumped it down her toilet. The defendant also treated the victim's daughter for acne with a series of injections on her face.
Also according to court documents, the victim's abdomen became infected and she was forced to see another doctor for follow up treatment. It was at that time that she first learned that the defendant was not a real doctor.
The victim eventually had to undergo corrective surgery.
Guzmangarza was arrested on December 22 and expected to be arraigned on December 23, 1:30pm.
The duty judge set bail at $750,000 and the defendant faces 12 years state prison.
If anyone was treated by Carlos Guzmangarza, also known as Carlos Guzman, at the Derma Clinic, located at the 2500 block of Mission Street, San Francisco, please contact investigator Douglas Becker of the Medical Board of California at (408) 437-3680, or Lt. Carlos Sanchez of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office at (415) 551-9500.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
