$2 million bail set for unlicensed plastic surgery
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
A couple accused of disfiguring women and practicing medicine without a license had their bail raised to $1 million each by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge Friday during their arraignment.
Ha Nguyen, 48, and Zbigniew Makowski, 62, remain in the county jail after being arrested Wednesday on charges of illegally performing cosmetic surgery that disfigured at least one woman.
They also have been charged with child endangerment after four children were found in a home that investigators described as filthy and filled with syringes and drugs.
The citizenship status of the couple isn't known, said deputy district attorney Michael Adams, but he believed they are a flight risk. Makowski may be a Canadian citizen, Adams said, but he wasn't sure whether Nguyen, who is Vietnamese, is in the country legally.
`I think she's a genuine risk to public safety," Adams said of Nguyen, who is accused of performing cosmetic surgeries including tummy tucks and face lifts with Makowski's assistance. Adams said he did not know if Nguyen has any medical training.