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News Release — September 5, 2007
MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
September 5, 2007
Medical Board of California investigation results in the arrests
of two San Jose unlicensed practitioners
SACRAMENTO—An investigation by the Medical Board of California led to the arrests today of Ha Nguyen and Zbigniew Makowski for the unlicensed practice of medicine. Medical Board investigators, in conjunction with the San Jose Police Department and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, served a search warrant at the home shared by Nguyen and Makowski in San Jose. While executing the search warrant, investigators found the home in a filthy condition with a large number of syringes and drugs readily available while children were present in the home. Both are being charged with child endangerment. Charges included violations of Penal Code sections 182a and 203 (conspiracy and mayhem); Business and Professions Code sections 2052(a)(b) and 1282.3 (practicing medicine without a license, conspiracy to practice medicine without a license, and improper collection, handling and storage of biological specimens). Nguyen and Makowski are expected to be arraigned in court this Friday.
The case was initiated after a disfigured victim notified the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Welfare Fraud Division and they contacted the Medical Board to begin an investigation. Nguyen and Makowski have allegedly been performing major cosmetic surgery, including: face lifts, altering lips, altering eye brows, tummy tucks, etc. Nguyen ran an ad in a local Vietnamese paper which advertised tattooing eye brows, eye liner, and lips. However, once the victims arrived at Nguyen's residence, where she performed the procedures, she would try and talk them into other procedures. All the victims are Vietnamese.
Victims treated by Nguyen and/or Makowski are encouraged to contact the Medical Board of California's San Jose District Office at (408) 437-3680.
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The mission of the Medical Board is to protect healthcare consumers through the proper licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professions and through the vigorous, objective enforcement of the Medical Practice Act.
If you have a question or complaint about the healthcare you are receiving, the board encourages you to visit its Web site at www.mbc.ca.gov or for questions call the Consumer Information Line at (916) 263-2382, or with complaints call (800) 633-2322.
For up-to-date information on board activities, please join our "Subscribers' List" at www.mbc.ca.gov/subscribers.htm.
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