Carlos Hernandez Fernandez reached a plea deal with prosecutors after he posed as a Fake surgeon and performed multiple illegal operations. Fernandez agreed to pay an estimated $175,000 to his victims. The fake surgeon pleaded guilty to three out of the 126 counts that he was charged with. The remaining counts will be dismissed under the plea deal.
After court, Fernandez told a reporter that he had no comment. The fake surgeon will go back to court in June. It's there he will find out how much time he'll be spending behind bars.
Pleaded guilty to three charges
Fernandez, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. He also pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation and unauthorized practice of a physician. The third charge is a misdemeanor, while the other two are felonies.
The fake doctor was arrested back in August of last year. He was accused of performing cosmetic surgeries on four women. He performed tummy tucks and face-lifts at his clinic, The Hernandez Fernandez Clinic. Apparently he has been posing as a fake surgeon since at least 2015.
Initially, the fake doctor was charged with 15 felony counts for assault, criminal impersonation and unlawful sexual contact. More victims ended up coming forward. This is what led to the 126 counts.
Fake surgeon's victim speaks out
Last August, a woman by the name of Maria came out and spoke about her experience with the fake surgeon. Maria, who spoke with CBS and didn't want her last name made public, said she went to see Fernandez for a tummy tuck. She said she saw that he had a five-star rating on the internet, so she decided to go to him for the procedure.
Maria's attorney, Anthony Lucero, said his client actually felt the fake surgeon cutting her skin. He said she felt every single minute of the procedure while it was going on. He added that she complained to Fernandez. After Maria's surgery was completed, she was given medication that was supposed to help with the pain. She said the medication didn't work.
She also said the fake doctor never used an anesthetic.
Lucero said his client spoke out and said nobody should pursue a cosmetic procedure without performing a full investigation on the Plastic Surgeon. Lucero said at all times, Fernandez presented himself as a real doctor. He claimed that he was licensed to practice in the state of Colorado.
Not the first time someone faked being a doctor
Fernandez isn't the first person to pose as a legitimate doctor. Recently, Oneal Ron Morris, 36, was sentenced in a Florida court. She posed as a cosmetic surgeon when she used super glue and Fix-a-Flat tire sealant to enlarge victims' buttocks. One patient died as a result.
Morris was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Her victim, 31-year-old Shatarka Nuby, died after Morris performed around 10 injections on her between 2007 and 2010. Morris was paid as much as $2,000 for the procedures.
