Claudio Marquez, 45, of 142-02 84th Dr. in…
By Dustin Brown
A man who posed as a cosmetic surgeon in Woodside was arrested last week after allegedly scarring a woman with a series of procedures he performed without a medical license, the Queens district attorney said.
Claudio Marquez, 45, of 142-02 84th Dr. in Briarwood, faces charges of assault, reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice for allegedly operating his office out of 50-58 69th St. without a medical license and injuring one of his patients, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Queens DA’s office.
He was arraigned Friday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Pauline Mullings, who set bail at $250,000, a spokeswoman for Queens DA Richard Brown said. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
He is being held at the Queens Detention Center, Department of Corrections spokesman John Mohan said Tuesday.
The case comes on the heels of the arrest of a Venezuelan couple charged with illegally practicing plastic surgery out of an Astoria apartment.
Eliezar Fernandez, 53, and his wife Iris, 49, allegedly injected a Botox-like substance into patients’ faces to smooth out wrinkles, which instead caused life-threatening infections and disfigurement in at least two people, Brown said. They were arraigned July 18 on a litany of charges including assault, reckless endangerment and unauthorized use of a professional title.
Marquez’s patient came forward after news broke about the Botox scam, according to published reports. She is currently under the care of another doctor and is scheduled for surgery to repair the damage allegedly done by Marquez’s procedures, police said.
When the woman met with Marquez, who introduced himself as Dr. Claudio, early this year to discuss cosmetic surgery treatments, Marquez recommended liposuction at $3,000 and a tummy tuck for $2,890.
The patient arrived for her liposuction treatment two weeks later. After passing out under anesthetic delivered through an IV, she awoke to find two incisions on her waist and four jars which Marquez said contained her fat. She returned for a tummy tuck in April, which also left her with two linear incisions on her stomach, according to the complaint.
When she came back complaining of pain and disfigurement, Marquez used local anesthetic but did not sedate her as he cut into her waist and inserted a suction tube, the complaint said.
The woman said she suffered severe disfigurement and scarring about her stomach and waist as a result of the procedure, the complaint said.
Police are asking any additional victims who may have had medical procedures performed by Marquez to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Reporter Courtney Dentch contributed to this story.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
