Colorado man accused of posing as doctor again after serving prison sentence
A Colorado man who was convicted and sent to prison nearly a decade ago for posing as a doctor and performing cosmetic procedures is facing new charges after investigators say he once again represented himself as a licensed physician.
Carlos Hernandez-Fernandez, a former surgical assistant, is accused of performing medical procedures without a license in Jefferson County. This comes years after his first criminal case involving patients who sought cosmetic surgery.
The latest case follows a separate investigation into Hernandez-Fernandez's involvement with Bare Beauty Aesthetic Care in Lakewood, a business CBS News Colorado reported on last year.
After the state issued the business a cease-and-desist order, investigators learned Hernandez-Fernandez, who once held a surgical assistant's license, was again identifying himself as a plastic surgeon, according to the indictment.
Investigators now believe Hernandez-Fernandez performed procedures including nose jobs, liposuction, and eyelid lifts, according to the same court document
The allegations are strikingly similar to the conduct that led to his first criminal case nearly a decade ago.
In 2016, Hernandez-Fernandez was accused of posing as a cosmetic surgeon and performing procedures on patients despite not being licensed to practice medicine. He eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, criminal impersonation and unauthorized practice of a physician.
He had originally faced 126 counts. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges.
Hernandez-Fernandez was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the victims.
During that case, CBS News Colorado interviewed one of his first victims — a woman who said she was badly scarred after Hernandez-Fernandez performed a mini tummy tuck on her.
The woman described the procedure as a painful and traumatic experience. Her case became one example of the harm prosecutors said patients suffered after Hernandez-Fernandez represented himself as a doctor.
The Jefferson County case is not the only legal trouble Hernandez-Fernandez has faced since his release from prison.
He also has a separate, open case in Arapahoe County dating to 2025. In that case, Hernandez-Fernandez is accused of impersonating a doctor at a local hospital, obtaining a hospital identification badge and entering restricted areas of the facility.
The separate allegations add another chapter to a legal history that has followed Hernandez-Fernandez for more than a decade.
The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office is now pursuing the latest case based on allegations that Hernandez-Fernandez again performed procedures that can only legally be performed by appropriately licensed medical professionals.
The new charges are allegations, and Hernandez-Fernandez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
