New Jersey man posed as a fake doctor, sexually assaulted patients
Key Takeaways
A husband and wife posing as medical professionals were arrested after they were found operating a phony medical office out of their Old Bridge, NJ home.
The man not only “treated” patients by providing multiple anti-inflammatory injections, but also sexually assaulted two of them. The fake doctor was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while his wife was sentenced to three years of probation.
Medical experts say that patients should be educated on how to check doctors’ credentials.
A fake doctor was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month after impersonating a physician and assaulting patients.
In 2022, Orger Sibaja-Bolanos, 67, was arrested after posing as a medical doctor and operating a fake medical office out of his Old Bridge, NJ home.[] His wife, Rosa Perez, 64, also supported the malpractice setup.
According to NJ.com, Sibaja-Bolanos wasn’t just ‘treating’ unwitting patients; he also sexually assaulted two women who came to his Brentwood Gardens apartment complex ‘office’ between July and August 2022.[]
One woman came to the Sibaja-Bolanos and Perez’s home to receive anti-inflammatory injections and was sexually assaulted by Sibaja-Bolanos during the visit. Another woman reported that he asked her to “remove her clothes and undergarments so he could massage her pain areas.”
The two reports occurred within less than a month of each other, tipping off the authorities that something wasn’t right. Following the reports, investigators discovered that the practice was phony. Sibaja-Bolanos gave injections and sexually assaulted one of the patients on multiple occasions.[]
Sibaja-Bolanos and Perez were sentenced on July 9. Perez was charged with third-degree unlicensed practice of medicine, third-degree conspiracy to commit the unlicensed practice of medicine, and third-degree financial facilitation.Sibaja-Bolanos was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree unlicensed practice of medicine, and third-degree financial facilitation.
Sibaja-Bolanos was sentenced to an aggregate term of 10 years in state prison and will have to fulfill 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. His wife was sentenced to 3 years of probation, with the condition that she serve 364 days in county jail at the end of her sentence should she violate the terms of probation.
How to help patients avoid scams
Patients should be taught how to verify whether a potential doctor is the real deal. “This is an extreme and unfortunate case. The sad truth is that this does happen, as evidenced by this person falsifying his credentials to misrepresent himself as a physician,” says Tiffany S. Di Pietro, DO, board-certified cardiologist and internal medicine physician and Chair for the Board of Osteopathic Medicine for the State of Florida.
“The best way to verify the qualification of a physician is to check your state's Department of Professional Regulation website. Although every state has a different website, [people] have a way of checking that their state has approved and given a valid medical license to each professional,” Dr. Di Pietro tells MDLinx.
She adds that before issuing a license, states must verify someone’s medical school, internship, and residency graduation and check whether they are connected to any criminal or medical malpractice cases.
“If the person you are choosing to see as a physician cannot be found on a state licensure website, they are not licensed in that state and should be reported as an ‘unlicensed practitioner,’” she says. “These websites can also give information as to whether a physician has been reprimanded or had any licensure issues in the past relating to their practice of medicine.”
Annie DePasquale, MD, the founder & CEO of Collaborating Docs, tells MDLinx that patients should also visit any potential MD’s Google Business listing, read the reviews for that MD, and see whether the business exists on social media. “Also, when deciding to go to a new healthcare provider, ask for word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations to speak to that provider’s competency,” she suggests.
Dr. DePasquale says that patients can spot the difference between an actual physician and a phony in a few other ways: “Physician credentials are posted publicly online in most states, and most credible providers should gladly display their credentials in their office or present them if requested by the patient,” she says. “Also, to purchase or lease a commercial building, there is almost always an application process that involves verifying credentials, business and professional licensures, or malpractice insurance.”
She says that the fact that this phony practice was operated out of the individuals’ home was a red flag. “That’s not to say that it’s not lawful to have a home-based office, but a commercial location adds an extra layer of legitimacy,” she says.
What this means for you
Orger Sibaja-Bolanos, 67, and his wife, Rosa Perez, 64, were sentenced for operating a fake medical practice in their New Jersey home, where Sibaja-Bolanos also sexually assaulted patients. This case underscores the importance of verifying a doctor's credentials through state licensure websites and being aware of potential red flags, such as home-based medical practices without proper authorization.