A Brea man who allegedly presented himself as a medical doctor is back behind bars less than two weeks after being released.
The Orange County District Attorney's office said Elias Renteria Segoviano, 63, targeted Spanish-speaking women to perform cosmetic procedures like Botox injections and fillers despite not having a medical license.
Nearly 30 women have now come forward as potential victims.
Segoviano was re-arrested earlier this month after he released from state prison on Dec. 22, 2023. He was serving time for previous felony charges to which he pled guilty in April 2023.
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He was charged with one felony count of false indication of a medical license, and one felony county of perjury. He also pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of misrepresenting himself as a licensed medical practitioner.
The District Attorney's Office said Segoviano tried to sublet a space at the Phenix Salon in Brea.
He approached Diego Ortega, a hairstylist at the salon about wanting to share a suite with him to perform Botox, fillers and face lifting procedures, like thread-lifts.
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"I thought it was a little bit weird that someone who did botox or medical procedures was looking at a place like this to work at." said Ortega.
Ortega's instinct was right. Investigators re-arrested Segoviano who had previously performed the unlicensed procedures at other locations in Anaheim and La Habra.
"They were literally putting their lives in this person's hands who had no medical training whatsoever," said Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's office. "Many of these women suffered serious disfigurement as a result because he had no idea what he was doing."
Segoviano is being held on $20,000 bail. If convicted, he faces three years behind bars.
