CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A South Bay doctor and nurse were taken away in handcuffs on Friday and sentenced to prison time for their roles in a botched 2018 plastic surgery that killed a patient.
Dr. Carlos Chacon was given a three-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal negotiated between the district attorney and his defense team.
A judge sentenced his nurse Heather Alice Lang Vass to two years of prison time for her role in the botched operation at the Divino Plastic Surgery clinic in Bonita.
Court heard that Vass, who had no formal training in anesthesia, gave Megan Espinoza a fatal dose of drugs including ketamine and fentanyl.
The judge said Vass admitted to giving patients sedation 100 different times as part of a “side hustle” to make extra money even though she “had no business” providing anesthesia as it was outside the scope of her license.
“One hundred times she put her desire for extra cash over her own patients,” Judge Maryann D’Addezio said.
'Gave her the death penalty'
Espinoza, a mother of two and teacher, had gone into Chacon’s clinic in Bonita for a breast augmentation surgery.
The judge said Chacon used Vass to cut corners to save money. She said he left the operating room while Espinoza was breathless to see other patients for consultations and instructed his staff not to call 911.
“You left your struggling and dying patient multiple times.”
Espinoza’s mother Judith Gorcey scolded Vass for not calling 911 when she knew her daughter was dying on the operating room table.
“That man and his nurse who are responsible for callously ending Megan’s life gave her the death penalty and they gave all of us who loved her a life sentence of extreme pain,” Gorcey said.
Vass pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last year and Chacon pleaded guilty to the more serious charge of manslaughter for his role in the death. He originally was charged with murder.
As part of a plea deal, Chacon now has a lifetime ban that prevents him from practicing medicine in California. Vass surrendered her nursing license last year but can apply to have it reinstated.
Family and friends of Espinoza fought back tears as they begged the judge to give the duo a harsher punishment.
“The minimum sentencing of three years seems, well, painfully inappropriate,” said David Gorcey, Espinoza’s father before the judge read her decision.
Nurse remorseful for her role: attorney
Both Chacon and Vass apologized to the victim’s family. The attorney for Vass said his client’s conduct wasn’t as egregious as Chacon’s noting she never left the operating room.
He showed a photo of Vass collapsing and crying during the botched surgery and argued his client didn’t know how incompetent Chacon was.
D’Addezio fought back saying his client knew better and had a close call six months before Espinoza’s surgery where she sedated a patient.
Chacon texted Vass saying she really “snowed” the woman, and he couldn’t wake her up. Vass replied saying it was hard to get the patient down because she used marijuana.
“It shows that before even considering taking blame for herself ... she’ll blame someone else. In this case the darn marijuana smoker,” D’Addezio said.
Espinoza’s father told the court his family’s life has never been the same since her death.
“Our lives have a massive gaping wound without our Megan in it. This wound will not heal," David said.
'You haven't learned anything'
D’Addezio acknowledged Vass’s remorse and cooperation with authorities but denied her probation request.
She referenced the former nurse’s 2013 felony conviction for DUI causing bodily harm saying, “In my opinion, you haven’t learned anything.”
The judge said the only reason she could think Vass didn’t call 911 when Espinoza was dying was because she knew her side gig would be up, and she’d have to explain why she was giving anesthesia to patients.
She said she didn’t learn anything from her previous felony probation.
“Instead, you said I wanna make some extra cash. So, I’m gonna violate the law and I’m gonna violate my license regulations and I’m gonna inject people with fentanyl and ketamine.”
