A Colorado man already convicted once for posing as a plastic surgeon is facing new felony charges after prosecutors say he did it again, just a few years after finishing a six-year prison sentence for the same kind of conduct. His name is Carlos Hernandez-Fernandez, and he’s 46.
A grand jury for Jefferson and Gilpin counties returned an 11-count indictment against Hernandez-Fernandez on October 1, 2026. He was arrested by Lakewood police the next day and booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a $750,000 cash-only bond.
What He’s Accused Of
According to the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Hernandez-Fernandez falsely represented himself as a licensed medical doctor and performed unauthorized medical procedures on multiple victims between September 2024 and September 2025.
In February 2025, he opened a business called Bare Beauty Aesthetic Care in Lakewood, in partnership with an Arizona-based licensed medical doctor. The business was advertised as a medical spa. Hernandez-Fernandez, though, is not a licensed medical doctor, and prosecutors say he’s a former surgical assistant, not a surgeon.
The Procedures He Allegedly Performed
The indictment gets specific about what happened between June and August 2025. Hernandez-Fernandez allegedly performed transconjunctival blepharoplasty, a lower eyelid surgery, along with rhinoplasty, commonly known as a nose job, liposuction, and the removal of lipomas. He also reportedly received payments for consultations about performing a tummy tuck and a breast augmentation or revision procedure, during which he allegedly presented himself as a plastic surgeon specializing in those exact procedures.
The Charges He’s Facing
The 11-count indictment breaks down as follows:
- Three counts of first-degree assault
- One count of second-degree assault
- Two counts of criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault
- Five counts of unauthorized practice of a profession or occupation, specifically medicine
That’s a serious set of charges, and the assault counts in particular reflect how prosecutors are treating unlicensed surgical procedures, not just as a licensing violation, but as physical harm done to real people under false pretenses.
How the Case Came Together
The investigation traces back to August 2025, when a complaint was filed with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. That complaint led DORA to issue a cease-and-desist order against Hernandez-Fernandez, and the Lakewood Police Department opened a criminal investigation shortly after.
Not His First Time Doing This
Here’s what makes this case stand out. This isn’t the first time Hernandez-Fernandez has been accused of practicing medicine without a license. He was previously convicted in Denver for the same kind of conduct and sentenced to six years in prison, along with being ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
During that earlier case, one of his first victims, a woman who said she was badly scarred after Hernandez-Fernandez performed a mini tummy tuck on her, spoke publicly about the harm she experienced. Her case became one example prosecutors pointed to when describing the damage patients suffered after trusting him as a licensed doctor.
That’s not even the only other legal trouble he’s currently facing either. Hernandez-Fernandez also has a separate, open case in Arapahoe County from 2025, where he’s accused of impersonating a doctor at a local hospital, obtaining a hospital identification badge, and entering restricted areas of the facility.
A Documented Pattern, According to Prosecutors
The Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s Office specifically highlighted what it described as a documented pattern of Hernandez-Fernandez targeting immigrant and Hispanic communities in Colorado by presenting himself as a licensed plastic surgeon. That detail suggests prosecutors see this not as an isolated lapse, but as a repeated and deliberate approach to finding victims who might be less likely to question his credentials or report him.
Where the Case Stands
Hernandez-Fernandez was due in court for an advisement hearing the Friday following his arrest. Right now, the charges against him remain allegations tied to this new indictment, and he’s presumed innocent on these specific counts unless the state proves its case in court. Given his prior conviction and the additional open case in Arapahoe County, this is likely to be a case Colorado prosecutors and regulators continue watching closely.