Fake Sparks doctor ordered back to court
Fake Sparks doctor ordered back to court
rgj.com
Written by
Jaclyn O’Malley
1:24 PM, Nov. 22, 2011
On a cellphone video recording of a supposed surgery in a Sparks apartment, the patient is seen covered with a blanket, and his face is exposed through a mask.
The man performing the July 22 procedure then used devices to probe into the man’s nose, and then put a tube down his throat, which made him gag, according to court records. Weeks later, the man reported to Sparks police that the nose job and stomach stapling that Edgar Orozco-Abundis performed on him was bogus and targeted illegal immigrants looking for weight loss solutions. The surgery was done in exchange for the repayment of a $7,500 that Orozco-Abundis was unable to pay back, detectives wrote in court documents. The victim reported the incident to police on Aug. 8.
The Mexico-born man — also suspected of being in the country illegally — was then arrested Sept. 12 on suspicion of practicing medicine without a license and obtaining money under false pretenses. Police say he does not have a license in the United States to practice medicine. He told police that he had previously been a licensed doctor in Mexico, court records show.
Late last month, a woman reported to police that Orozco-Abundis performed a nose job on her on Aug. 29 inside her Sparks apartment. She said he repaid her nearly $8,000 cash surgery fee with a bogus check after he told her the state health division told him to stop doing the procedures because he doesn’t have a license. The woman said he met him through her church. Last week, he was charged additionally with practicing medicine without a license and obtaining money under false pretenses.
Washoe District Judge David Hardy on Tuesday remanded the criminal case back to Sparks Justice Court where Orozco-Abundis will face a preliminary hearing scheduled for the sometime in the next several days. Orozco-Abundis was facing arraignment Tuesday on the original charge, but due to the additional charges from last week, the case is going back to the lower court. He had waived his preliminary hearing on the initial charge stemming from the July alleged surgery.
State Health Officer Dr. Tracey Green has said this incident and a handful of others has caused officials to believe there is an underground network of unlicensed medical providers who are performing illegal back room surgeries in the state.
Orozco-Abundis, detectives said, claimed he had only performed surgeries on family and friends. He said he did not charge anyone.
Authorities said he was here on a work visa that expired. According to court papers, Orozco-Abundis listed his employment as a student who earned $1,600 a month performing “odd jobs.â€
