Fake surgeon faces sexual assault charge
An El Paso-area man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman after posing as a cosmetic surgeon in a Facebook lure, police officials said.
Tito Villarreal, 43, is accused of posing as a cosmetic surgeon and communicating with women through a Facebook page telling them that they had won a raffle for free surgery, El Paso police said in a news release.
Villarreal, who works as a plumber and is listed as a resident of Canutillo, said he is “not guilty of these charges,” public defense attorney Julia Martin said on his behalf at a teleconference bond hearing Tuesday.
On at least two occasions, Villarreal persuaded women to go to a hotel on the false claim that they were going to get a massage from a licensed therapist, police said. Detectives suspect Villarreal might have contacted more women.
Police said the Facebook page was under the name Tito Villarreal.
Police detectives said that Villarreal allegedly used spoofing technology to make it appear that he was calling from a real medical facility. Spoofing is when a scammer masks information to make it look like a call is coming from a legitimate source — such as a bank or law enforcement agency — on caller ID.
Details on the alleged sexual assault were not disclosed because of the ongoing investigation, but the sexual assault allegedly occurred Jan. 5, according to El Paso County Jail records.
Police arrested Villarreal on Jan. 22, and booked him into jail on nine traffic warrants. He was rebooked the next day on the sexual assault charge.