Investigates

DENVER (CBS4) ― A CBS4 Investigation has found that a therapist licensed by the state continued practicing and treating patients for seven months after he was hit with seven felony charges -- several of them sexually-related. State regulators now say what the CBS4 investigation uncovered is "not acceptable."

The case of licensed clinical social worker Cesar Corzo, uncovered by CBS4, has exposed weaknesses in the state regulatory system that are now being thrust into the spotlight. Chris Lines, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies said, "Everyone in that division is looking at how we can prevent this from happening again."

CBS4 found that Corzo was licensed as a therapist by the state even though he had been convicted of federal felonies for money laundering and cocaine in 1998 in California. But since the state does not do background checks or fingerprint checks on potential therapists, they never knew about Corzo's background to make an informed decision.

After being licensed, he worked for Highlands Behavioral Health in Littleton as a therapist. But after he left HBH in May 2008, HBH filed an official complaint against Corzo with state regulators claiming that he had been inappropriate with two female clients. Corzo disputes those claims.

The Department of Regulatory Agencies said it immediately began investigating the complaint against Corzo. By then he had gone to work at Ridge View Academy, a state prison for young men between the ages of 15 and 21 years old. Ridge View fired Corzo in December of 2008 after allegations surfaced that he had shown pornography to youth offenders, had supplied them with hallucinogenic drugs like ecstasy and mushrooms, and had even brought his 28-year-old girlfriend into the facility to have sex with two teenage offenders. Corzo and his girlfriend say all the accusations are false.

But three months after Ridge View fired Corzo, the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office filed seven felony charges against Corzo stemming from his work at the state prison where he was the clinical director. He was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, promoting obscenity to a minor and sexual conduct in a penal institution, among other charges.

State licensing authorities say their initial investigation of Corzo was still going on at this point and they were never aware of the slew of felony charges. So Corzo continued practicing, and continued seeing patients.

Regulators did not learn of the felony charges Oct. 1 when the Attorney General's Office informed them of the pending case. Seventeen months after Highlands Behavioral Health had filed a complaint against Corzo, nothing had been done. And 7 months after felony charges were filed against him, no regulatory action had been taken. It was only after learning of the felony charges in October that state regulators acted. The board that oversees therapists called an emergency meeting Oct. 7 and summarily suspended Corzo's license -- nearly a year and a half after the initial complaint and 7 months after Arapahoe County prosecutors went after Cesar Corzo.

State spokesman Chris Lines initially maintained that "the system worked as its designed to work." But after being confronted with the lengthy delays in taking action on the Corzo case, Lines conceded "nobody wants an investigation to take that long. No, it's not acceptable and not what we want. Everyone in that division is looking at how we can prevent this from happening again."

Asked if the state would have done something earlier had it known of the felony case, Lines said, "The board likely would have called an emergency meeting to take action. One option the board might take would be to summarily suspend his license."

Lines called the length of time that elapsed after the May 2008 complaint "unfortunate." But he said the original complaint was "not out of the ordinary and did not portray a threat to the public." Lines went on to say, "No one is satisfied with the time it took to get to suspension in this case ... and this case has given us an opportunity to learn."

Lines said the state is now looking at ways of improving communication with law enforcement and tightening process timelines.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Curious & Controversial News

• Video: Watch Birdman Get A New Tat
• Anger Over MTV's Giant Phallus Stunt
• The Quest To Be The World's Fattest Lady
• DNA From Germs May Solve Crimes Someday
• Beware The Botnet On Your PC
• Man Says Packers Loyalty Saved His Life
• $8,000 Worth Of Pot Left In Charity Bin
• Slideshow: Colorado's Weirdest Festival
• Slideshow: Colorado's Weirdest Crime
• Slideshow: Colorado's Weirdest House