A 46-year-old Lakewood man already convicted once for posing as a plastic surgeon is facing a new 11-count felony indictment after authorities say he performed unauthorized rhinoplasties, liposuction and eyelid surgeries out of a medical spa he co-founded. Carlos Hernandez-Fernandez was arrested by Lakewood police on Thursday, a day after a grand jury handed down the indictment, and was booked into Jefferson County Jail on a $750,000 bond.
According to the Denver Gazette, Hernandez-Fernandez allegedly posed as a doctor and performed cosmetic procedures at Bare Beauty Aesthetic Care, a Lakewood clinic he opened with an Arizona-based licensed medical doctor and advertised as a medical spa. He is not a licensed medical doctor. Per court filings published by the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney's Office, the indictment under case number 26CR1908 includes three counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault, two counts of attempted first-degree assault and five counts of unauthorized practice of medicine.
Grand jury findings published by the same office state that Hernandez-Fernandez performed specific unauthorized surgeries between June and August 2025, including transconjunctival blepharoplasty, better known as lower eyelid surgery, along with rhinoplasty, liposuction and lipoma removals. The Denver Gazette reports he also held consultations for breast augmentations and tummy tucks, presenting himself to patients as a plastic surgeon specializing in those procedures.
A Cease-and-Desist Order Preceded the Criminal Case
The case traces back to August 2025, when a complaint was made to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, which issued a cease-and-desist order against Hernandez-Fernandez that same month, the Denver Gazette reports. A criminal investigation followed the complaint, and the First Judicial grand jury began its own investigation in June 2026 before returning the indictment this week.
This is not the first time Hernandez-Fernandez has been accused of practicing medicine without a license. As reported by CBS News in January 2018, he was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to six years in prison for second-degree assault, criminal impersonation and practicing medicine without a license after performing unauthorized plastic surgeries on more than 50 patients in Denver.
Restitution Still Mostly Unpaid Before New Clinic Opened
A Denver District Attorney's Office spokesman confirmed that Hernandez-Fernandez was court-ordered in 2017 to pay more than $189,000 in restitution to 37 victims of his earlier scheme, according to the same 9News report. Court records also show he was arrested in Arapahoe County in July 2025 after allegedly tricking a security guard at Swedish Medical Center into printing him a hospital physician ID badge by claiming he had lost his original one.
Bret Pearce, an Arizona physician listed as the registered agent of Bare Beauty Aesthetic Care, told the station he opened the business with his former college friend Hernandez-Fernandez believing he would act only as an assistant or medical director. Pearce said he was unaware of Hernandez-Fernandez's criminal past or the unauthorized surgeries allegedly performed at the clinic.
Prosecutors Say Victims Were Targeted By Ethnicity
Statements released by the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney's Office highlighted what prosecutors describe as a documented pattern of Hernandez-Fernandez preying on immigrant and Hispanic communities in Colorado by presenting himself as a licensed plastic surgeon. Under Colorado law, an Article 240-licensed physician who delegates medical-aesthetic services to an unlicensed individual must post visible on-site notices, publish online disclosures listing a delegating doctor's license number, and secure written informed consent from patients, according to legal analysis published on Justia Law covering the statute enacted via House Bill 1024.
The charges Hernandez-Fernandez now faces carry substantial prison exposure. Colorado felony sentencing guidelines published by Landy Criminal Law show a Class 3 felony, like the first-degree assault counts, carries a presumptive sentence of 4 to 12 years, while Class 4 felonies carry 2 to 6 years and the unauthorized-practice-of-medicine counts are classified as Class 6 felonies.
