Elias Segoviano: Fake doctor back in custody as he tries to open new Botox business 2 weeks after release

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Less than two weeks after his release, a Brea man who allegedly posed as a doctor is back in jail.

Despite lacking a medical license, Elias Renteria Segoviano, 63, allegedly preyed on Spanish-speaking women by offering to perform cosmetic procedures like Botox injections and fillers.

This information was provided by the Orange County District Attorney's office. Now, almost thirty women have identified themselves as possible victims. Following his release from state prison on December 22, 2023, Segoviano was arrested again earlier this month.

Elias Segoviano pretended to be licensed physician

Elias Segoviano had entered a guilty plea in April 2023 to prior felonies, for which he was serving time.

He was accused of one felony count of perjury and one count of falsely indicating he had a medical license. In addition, he entered a guilty plea to one misdemeanor count of falsely representing himself as a licensed physician.

Segoviano allegedly attempted to sublease a space at the Brea Phenix Salon, according to the District Attorney's Office.

As reported by NBC Los Angeles, he asked the salon's hairstylist, Diego Ortega, if he could share a suite with him so that he could do Botox, fillers, and face-lifting procedures like thread-lifts.

"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.

Segoviano, who had previously carried out the unlicensed procedures at other locations in Anaheim and La Habra, was taken into custody by investigators once again.

Elias Segoviano's bail is set at $20,000

"They were literally putting their lives in this person's hands who had no medical training whatsoever," Orange County District Attorney's office spokesperson Kimberly Edds stated, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.

"Many of these women suffered serious disfigurement as a result because he had no idea what he was doing," she added.

Segoviano's bail is set at $20,000. He could spend three years in prison if found guilty.

Todd Spitzer, the district attorney for Orange County, stressed the gravity of Segoviano's actions and the danger they posed to unwary clients.

It is recommended that anyone who received unsanctioned procedures from Segoviano notify the Orange County District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation immediately.

"This man walked the walk and talked the talk of being a licensed medical professional, but he was anything but what he pretended to be," said Spitzer, according to Fox11.

"These women trusted this individual to have the training and the expertise required to perform these medical procedures, and instead they unknowingly put their very lives in the hands of someone who was never licensed to perform the kind of work he was doing," he added.