Rocklin Cosmetic Surgeon Under Criminal Investigation Loses License
ROCKLIN (CBS13) - A cosmetic surgeon at the center of a criminal investigation is stripped of his ability to practice medicine again.
Dr. Efrain Gonzalez is accused of botching the plastic surgeries of several patients at Advanced MedSpa in Rocklin.
Gonzalez was a subject of a CBS13 investigation in November 2012, in which patients reported the cosmetic surgeon had done permanent damage to their bodies during cosmetic surgery procedures.
He was cuffed and arrested on March 15 and faced a judge Monday, who said Gonzalez can't touch another patient for the time being.
"There is a concern that he is endangering the public health safety or welfare," said Deputy Attorney General Margaret Phe.
Cameras were not allowed in Gonzalez's hearing where Phe argued that Gonzalez could injure or even kill someone if he continued to practice medicine. She cited the more than 15 patients who allege their procedures were botched, leading to infections and deformities.
However, these complaints have been around for months. In January, the Medical Board of California and Attorney General's office filed a 94-page complaint for his alleged treatment of 15 patients.
So why is his license only now being suspend?
"What lay people don't always seem to know or recognize is that investigations take up time, especially when they're complex issues dealing with medical issues," said Phe.
CBS13 stopped by Gonzalez's lavish home to get his side of the story, but no one came to the door. However, we did see his wife Dr. Yennessia Candelaria run upstairs.
Candelaria, in a legal mess of her own, is her husband's anesthesiologist and still allowed to practice medicine -- even though CBS13 obtained a copy of a DEA warrant affidavit that alleges Candelaria had a drug habit.
In one case, she allegedly administered anesthesia to a patient "...while simultaneously administering the drug to herself via an additional intravenous line. According to a medical assistant assisting in the procedure, Dr. Candelaria lost consciousness in the operating room."
Despite those allegations, Candelaria still has her medical license.
