O.C. fake doctor who targeted Latinas arrested for conducting dangerous plastic surgery operations

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Brea man was charged with multiple felonies for impersonating a medical doctor and performing medical procedures including Botox injections, lip and face fillers, and thread-lift procedures on numerous unsuspecting victims. The fake doctor is accused of targeting Spanish-speaking women to perform the unlicensed procedures.

Authorities believe there may be additional victims and are urging anyone who was treated by Elias Renteria Segoviano to report those procedures to the Orange County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation by contacting Investigator T. Hoang at 714-834-6538.

“Medical professionals are highly trained and highly regulated for a reason,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “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 had no idea what they were doing.”

Segoviano, 61, of Brea, has been charged with one felony count of the unauthorized practice of medicine, one felony count of false indication of a medical license, and one felony count of perjury. He has also been charged with one misdemeanor count of misrepresenting self as a licensed medical practitioner, one misdemeanor count of representation of license not issued to him or her, one misdemeanor count of misrepresentation of qualifications, and one misdemeanor count of impersonating a professional nurse or pretending to be licensed to practice nursing.

He faces a maximum sentence of five years and four months in state prison if convicted on all counts.

He is currently being held on $1 million bail. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Segoviano was arrested on July 19, 2022 at his business, Botox in Anaheim, within the Phenix Salon Suites, located at 935 S. Brookhurst St. in Anaheim, California. Segoviano used various social media platforms to advertise his services to potential clients, including videos and postings on Facebook, Tiktok, and other social media platforms. Segoviano used various aliases including “Dr. Elias”, “Dr. Elias Renteria”, “Dr. Elias Renteria M.D.“ and used “ELIASMD” on his vehicle license plate.

Segoviano is believed to have utilized other locations for his unlawful medical practice since 2019 including 339 La Habra Blvd, La Habra, CA. Various business names were used for his unlicensed practice including “Botox in Anaheim,” “Botox in Anaheim- Health and Beauty,” “Neurotoxina Botulinica- Massage Service,” “Threads in Anaheim, “Threads La Habra”, “Botox La Habra,” and “OC Threads, Botox & Fillers.”

Segoviano is accused of performing invasive procedures and injecting victims with potentially counterfeit Botox, fillers, anesthetics, and other medical drugs that placed the public at extreme risk.
Deputy District Attorney Diran H. Tashjian of the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit is prosecuting this case.