Man Pleads Not Guilty in Home Surgery Death

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — An unlicensed surgeon whose fat-removal operation in a woman’s home allegedly caused her death pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Bail was set at $1 million.

Guillermo Falconi, 43, of Upland, also entered not guilty pleas Thursday to one charge of practicing medicine without a license and two counts of unlawfully practicing medicine for surgeries he performed on two other women.

Although Falconi didn’t intend to kill Barbara Rojas, 52, he was aware of the danger posed by the surgery and proceeded with conscious disregard for human life, said San Bernardino County Deputy Dist. Atty. Kent Williams.

If convicted of second-degree murder, Falconi faces 15 years to life in prison.

Rojas died Monday night at San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, nearly three weeks after she paid Falconi $500 to cut the tissue from her arms. Her 14-year-old daughter assisted Falconi during the surgery.

Defense lawyer Mitchell Haddad gave reporters outside court a possible hint of the defense strategy in the case, saying the operation “was done in a community setting with a voluntary consent by an individual who probably would have gone to a different country had she not had it done here.”