HOUSTON – An alleged fake surgeon got arrested during an undercover operation, after investigators said the so-called doctor who specialized in breast procedures in the Memorial area wasn’t licensed.
Alexander Padilla, 53, is charged with practicing medicine without a license. He was taken into custody Wednesday night after the Houston Police Department said officers conducted the undercover operation at Houston Aesthetic Center in the 11900 block of Katy Freeway.
Padilla is listed on the business website, which claims to have an “experienced medical team” made up of three plastic surgeons, including Padilla.
HPD told KPRC 2 the Major Offenders Division started investigating after a complaint came in from the Texas Medical Board.
“People were agreeing to have surgeries and things weren’t going well,” Harris County consumer fraud prosecutor Sheila Hansel told KPRC 2. “Various types of cosmetic surgery, some breast augmentation, liposuction, those kinds of things.”
Several complaints were made to the Texas Medical Board, but Hansel did not have an exact number.
Court documents revealed a confidential informant posed as a customer seeking breast augmentation surgery. Padilla allegedly had her remove her top and bra, called her “a good candidate for surgery,” and told her that he’d do the surgery himself.
“Apparently it was $7,500 total and $1,000 down payment, and that was paid by the police department’s undercover officer and then he was arrested,” Hansel said.
Hours after Padilla’s arrest, social media posts on an Instagram profile that appeared to be his showed dozens of pre- and post-surgery images. Those posts got removed on Friday.
“I would never rely on any health care provider’s social media to be the leading factor or even a factor, in who I would choose to use as my doctor,” Houston medical malpractice attorney John Brothers told KPRC 2.
Brothers urged anyone seeking a doctor to research them through the Texas Medical Board’s online portal.
“It will tell you where the doctor went to school, where they’re licensed, that if they have board certifications, it will also tell you whether or not they have been disciplined by the Texas Medical Board,” Brothers said.
The Texas Medical Board confirmed to KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry that Padilla was not licensed in Texas, even though the Houston Aesthetic Center’s website claims to have an experienced medical team made up of three plastic surgeons, listing Padilla as one of them.
KPRC 2 stopped by the office twice, but the door was locked and the lights were turned off.
Another doctor from the office said everything alleged is inaccurate, that Padilla has been practicing for 20 years, and that he does surgery every day.
When KPRC 2 asked if that doctor had seen Padilla’s license, he hung up the phone.
An attorney listed for Padilla in Harris County court records repeatedly said “no comment” when contacted by phone Friday afternoon.
Padilla was granted a personal bond, meaning no fee had to be paid. He appeared in court Friday morning, but without counsel, and said he’d like more time to find an attorney. His new court date is not until December.
Hansel said investigators would like to hear from other potential victims.
The Texas Medical Board provided the following statement to KPRC 2:
The Board would encourage the public when considering a particular physician to use our website with other sources like their insurance plans to verify credentials. We have a very prominent search feature on the homepage under “Look Up a License,” which allows people to look up and verify a physician’s background including their education and specialty training especially if they are considering a specific surgical procedure, how long they’ve been practicing, and if they’ve ever been disciplined.