A Colorado man who went to prison in 2017 for pretending to be a licensed doctor and performing cosmetic surgeries in Denver has been arrested again on suspicion of performing unlicensed surgeries, this time in Lakewood.
A grand jury indicted 46-year-old Carlos Hernandez-Fernandez on Wednesday on three counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault, two counts of attempted first-degree assault and five counts of unauthorized practice of a profession.
Between June and August 2025, Hernandez-Fernandez performed surgeries on at least three people, including a lower eyelid surgery, a rhinoplasty and a liposuction at Bare Beauty Aesthetic Care in Lakewood, the indictment alleges. Two others had or scheduled surgery consultations.
Hernandez-Fernandez advertised himself as a licensed doctor and the business, on the corner of West Jewell Avenue and South Wadsworth Boulevard, as a medical spa, the indictment alleges. He is not a licensed medical doctor.
He and an Arizona-based licensed doctor opened the business in early 2025 after Hernandez-Fernandez told the Arizona doctor his medical license was under restriction but that he could still practice as long as he didn’t perform invasive procedures, according to the indictment.
Lakewood police began investigating Hernandez-Fernandez after the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies received a complaint in August 2025. The state ordered the business to cease operations that month.
It is not the first time Hernandez-Fernandez has faced such charges. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, criminal impersonation and unauthorized practice of a physician for posing as a plastic surgeon at a Denver clinic and performing medical procedures on more than 50 people. He was sentenced that year to six years in prison.
After serving his prison sentence, Hernandez Fernandez was expected to spend three years on parole followed by six years on probation, according to previous reporting. It is not clear whether he was on probation while operating the Lakewood business. The case doesn’t appear in court records, which can happen when records are sealed.
Lakewood police arrested Hernandez-Fernandez on Thursday. He is in custody at the Jefferson County jail on $750,000 cash-only bail, online jail records show.
