A San Francisco man who allegedly posed as a doctor and performed liposuction on an unsuspecting woman then flushed the fat down her toilet was arrested Thursday and is facing several felony charges, prosecutors said today.
Carlos Guzmangarza, 49, also known as Carlos Guzman, allegedly operated a dermatology clinic in the 2500 block of San Francisco's Mission Street called the Derma Clinic and assumed the identity of a physician's assistant with a similar name to his, according to the district attorney's office.
Guzmangarza, who has no medical license, claimed the clinic was operated by himself and a doctor, but neither the doctor or the real physician's assistant is affiliated with the clinic, prosecutors said.
In early 2010, a victim seeking to have liposuction done on her stomach, as well as an eye lift procedure, was referred to Guzmangarza who agreed to perform the procedures for $3,000, an amount much lower than other quotes she received.
On the day of the procedure, Guzmangarza picked up the woman at her house, drove her to the office, and had her hold her IV bag for him during the procedure, during which he smoked a cigar, prosecutors said.
A few days after the surgery, Guzmangarza showed up at the woman's house with what he said was six pounds of fat that was removed during the liposuction, and dumped it down her toilet.
The victim's abdomen later became infected and she was forced to see another doctor, at which point she learned that Guzmangarza was not a real doctor. She has since undergone corrective surgery, according to the district attorney's office.
Guzmangarza also treated the victim's daughter for acne with a series of injections of an unknown substance in her face, prosecutors said.
He was arrested Thursday and is set to be arraigned this afternoon on four felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, along with three counts of assault with force likely to cause great bodily harm and one count of battery for the procedures he performed on the two victims.
Guzmangarza is also charged with felony counts of false impersonation and grand theft.
He is currently in custody on $750,000 bail and could face up to 12 years in state prison if convicted of all charges.
"The defendant put lives at risk by performing medical procedures he was not licensed or qualified to perform," District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. "My office will hold people accountable for endangering the lives of innocent people."
Dan Wood, spokesman for the Medical Board of California, said, "This is a very serious matter and we take it very seriously. We're very glad to be able to shut this person down."
Anyone else who may have been treated by Guzmangarza at his clinic is encouraged to call investigator Douglas Becker of the state Medical Board at (408) 437-3680 or Lt. Carlos Sanchez with the district attorney's office at (415) 551-9500.
Bay City News
