Prosecutors have filed charges against a student who allegedly pretended to be a doctor at the University of California, Irvine and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, officials announced Wednesday.
Ariya Ouskouian, a 23-year-old student at UC Irvine, was charged with a felony count of providing medical diagnosis while impersonating a doctor and eight misdemeanor counts of misrepresenting oneself as a licensed medical practitioner, according to the O.C. District Attorney’s Office.
Officials accused him of claiming to be a doctor while diagnosing a male patient about a growth on his neck at a consult room at UC Irvine on May 3. He was also suspected of impersonating a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County on at least seven instances between April 23 to June 4.
In each of those occasions, Ouskouian claimed to have misplaced his hospital badge to security before requesting a temporary one, the District’s Attorney’s Office said.
When hospital staffers asked for verification of his status as a doctor, the man allegedly provided the name of a UC Irvine personnel.
“The defendant is further accused of convincing the UCI personnel of his alleged doctor status. The UCI personnel then verified Ouskouian to CHOC,” the District Attorney’s Office said.
The hospital alerted Orange police, which investigated the case.
He was arrested on Tuesday and released on Wednesday afternoon after posting bond, O.C. Sheriff Department records showed.
Authorities provided no further information about Ouskouian.
If convicted as charged, he could face three years in state prison and eight years in Orange County Jail, officials said. His next court appearance has not been scheduled.