PAYSON, Utah — A Payson man is now facing multiple charges of performing medical procedures without a license, as agents with the Utah Attorney General’s SECURE Strike Force say he took advantage of undocumented immigrants.
According to investigators, Edgar Flores Bobadilla is himself in the US without proper, legal documentation.
They go on to say that Flores Bobadilla was operating a cash only, doctors office and pharmacy out of the basement of his Payson home. But when one procedure allegedly went wrong, that victim contacted police.
Payson detectives worked with SECURE agents on a months-long investigation that resulted in a search warrant which agents executed Tuesday night.
Flores Bobadilla was arrested and officers seized his medicines.
“Most of the medicine was in Spanish, so we’re determining what exactly it was that he was administering," said Brendan Call, Section Chief of Utah Attorney General's office. "We found IVs, injectables and things that without a license you’re just not allowed to be administering to people.”
Officials also found more than $140,000 in cash.
Agents say Flores Bobadilla charged thousands of dollars upfront for what was basically a consultation fee, then collected more cash after the procedure was completed.
Nearly all of Flores Bobadilla's patients are local Latinos and many of them are undocumented.
“They sometimes have a fear of the system, whether it’s the healthcare system, they may not have insurance and so those are his clients that are going and paying him cash and getting “treatments”, for whatever ailments he claims they have," said Call.
Flores Bobadilla is now facing felony charges, including practicing medicine and dispensing pharmaceuticals without a license.
Authorities say Flores Bobadilla previously served jail time in 2015 on a conviction for sexual battery.
Agents say Flores Bobadilla saw at least a half dozen patients per week for the past several years and they believe there are more victims out there.
Anyone with additional information can call the AGs office at 801-281-1200.
