SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 60-year-old chiropractor has been charged with sexually assaulting seven female patients while treating the women at an Irvine clinic.
Lincoln Esguerra Carillo also has ties to other chiropractic offices in the counties of Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino as well as the state of Virginia. Authorities believe there may be additional victims and are asking for the public’s help in providing additional information regarding any additional victims or information regarding Carillo to the Irvine Police Department.
Carillo was arrested in Virginia last week and was transported to Orange County on Monday. He has been charged with seven felony counts of felony sexual penetration by means of fraudulent representation of a professional purpose, four counts of sexual battery by fraudulent representation of a professional purpose, and 12 misdemeanor counts of touching an intimate part of another person.
Carillo is currently being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday July 15 in CJ1. He faces a maximum state prison sentence of 24 years.
Carillo worked at Twins Chiropractic in Irvine for approximately 4 years. During the course of his employment, Carillo treated a female patient multiple times for chronic neck pain between April and May 2021. During seven of the visits, Carillo is accused of sexually assaulting the woman. The woman reported the sexual assaults to the Irvine Police Department in May 2021.
Through the course of the investigation, Irvine police identified six more sexual assault victims who had been treated by Carillo at Twins Chiropractic between January and August of 2021, including a woman who required chiropractic care after being injured in a car accident.
Carillo is believed to have had ties to chiropractic offices in Artesia, Los Angeles, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Long Beach, Irvine, Orange, Upland, Cerritos, Costa Mesa, Placentia, Garden Grove, Riverside and Herndon, Virginia.
Due to Carillo’s extensive connections throughout Southern California and extending to the east coast, authorities believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Irvine Police Detective Nate Ridlon at nridlon@cityofirvine.org.
“Dr. Carillo exploited the high level of trust we place in our medical professionals, to prey upon his victims,” said Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent. “I am thankful for the brave victim that had the courage to come forward and expose his pattern of abuse. A tremendous amount of investigative work went into identifying and interviewing Dr. Carillo’s patients to locate additional victims and present a case to the District Attorney that would support criminal charges.”
“Vulnerable patients seeking chiropractic treatment for aches and pains should not have to worry about being sexually assaulted,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Chiropractors and other medical professionals are trusted by their patients to treat them with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Instead, this individual preyed on their vulnerability and sexually assaulted them. The Irvine Police Department did an incredible job pursuing a sexual predator and together we will do everything we can to achieve justice for these women.”
Senior Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
