BONITA, Calif. (KGTV) - A disgraced plastic surgeon convicted in the death of a San Diego woman will be released from prison next month after serving only half of his three-year sentence, devastating the victim's family on the seventh anniversary of her death.
Carlos Chacon is scheduled for release from Donovan State Prison on March 13, according to a letter from state corrections officials received by the family of Megan Espinoza last week. Espinoza died in 2018 during a botched breast surgery at Dr. Chacon’s Bonita clinic.
"He robbed her of her life. A year and a half is not justice. It's not a fair exchange for what he did, for the consequences of his act," said Judith Dorcey, Espinoza's mother. “He had no regard for her life.”
The early release comes as an especially painful blow to the family, arriving on the anniversary of Espinoza's death. Dorcey said the family was told by prosecutors before sentencing that Chacon would serve at least 80 percent of his sentence as part of his plea deal.
"It's heartbreaking. I feel like the justice system has betrayed Megan, betrayed us," Dorcey said.
Espinoza, a mother of two, died in 2018 after undergoing breast augmentation surgery. Prosecutors alleged that Chacon allowed an unqualified nurse to sedate Espinoza and permitted her to suffocate in the operating room for hours while preventing staff from calling 911.
In 2024, Chacon pleaded guilty to several charges, including voluntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to three years in prison. As part of his plea deal, he was barred from practicing medicine in California.
Despite the ban, Dorcey expressed concern about Chacon's release date.
"My fear is that he will either open a practice in Mexico or another state and that he will put other people at harm," she said.
The District Attorney's office released a statement acknowledging the family's frustration: "The law provides for 80 percent credit but unfortunately, the calculations are not certain and CDCR has options for early releases which has a very negative impact on victims who count on a certain sentence. We believe he shouldn't be released early and are expressing this to CDCR.”
A spokesperson for the CDCR released the following statement: “Carlos O. Chacon will not be released early. He will be released to parole supervision after serving his full sentence as required by law. Incarcerated individuals may earn credit toward their sentence as allowed by law. Such provisions include Penal Code sections 2933 through 2933.6, (worktime credits, program credits, conservation camp credits), as well as credits awarded under Sections 3043 through 3043.8 of Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
