A Southern California man who pleaded guilty last year of running an illegal Botox business has been arrested again trying to open another one less than two weeks after he was released from prison, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Elias Segoviano, 63, of Brea, was released from state prison in December after serving one year and four months of a four-year sentence after admitting he injected clients with potentially counterfeit Botox, fillers, anesthetics, and other medical drugs at his Anaheim business.
District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced Feb. 22 Mr. Sogoviano targeted Spanish-speaking women to perform unlicensed Botox and thread-lift procedures.
On Jan. 4, while on post-release supervision, the district attorney alleges Mr. Segoviano attempted to sublet a space at the Phenix Salon in Brea. He also applied for a business license in that city, but his application was rejected, according to the district attorney.
A tip from the state probation department prompted the District Attorney’s Office to open an investigation, which led to Mr. Segoviano being charged with two felony counts of the unauthorized practice of medicine and one misdemeanor count of falsely representing himself as a licensed medical practitioner, according to the district attorney’s office.
The district attorney said it was “painfully obvious” Mr. Segoviano has no intention of changing his behavior.
“This man walked the walk and talked the talk of being a licensed medical professional, but he was anything but what he pretended to be,” Mr. Spitzer said in a press release. “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 was never licensed to perform the kind of work he was doing.”
In July 2022, Mr. Segoviano was arrested at his business within an Anaheim location of Phenix. He was charged with illegally practicing medicine on 28 victims. In April 2023, he pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts.
Law enforcement said he used social media to advertise his services, posting videos on Facebook, Tiktok, and other platforms. He also used aliases, including “Dr. Elias,” “Dr. Elias Renteria,” and “Dr. Elias Renteria M.D.” His license plate was “ELIASMD,” according to the district attorney’s office.
Mr. Segoviano may have also used other names for his business, including “Botox in Anaheim,” “Botox in Anaheim-Health and Beauty,” “Neurotoxina Botulinica-Massage Service,” “Threads in Anaheim,” “Threads in La Habra,” “Botox La Habra,” and “OC Threads, Botox & Fillers,” the district attorney added.
The district attorney’s office encouraged anyone who was treated by Mr. Segoviano to report the procedures to the district attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.
