Shocking downfall of high-flying Sugar Land plastic surgeon... as sickening claims of sexual assault, 'foot fetish' incident and drunken operations rock Texas elite

By JAMES REINL, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 18:19, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 18:19, 13 July 2026 For years, Azul Jaffer marketed himself as one of Houston's premier plastic surgeons, operating from a prominent, million-dollar Sugar Land clinic where wealthy patients came for facelifts, breast augmentations and mommy makeovers.  The 51-year-old doctor was billed on his website as an artist who fused sculpture with science, a surgeon who performed medical missions in Africa, and a specialist capable of correcting the botched procedures of other, inferior clinicians.  Patients left glowing testimonials praising his bedside manner and surgical results. His online reviews were nearly five stars. But his once-gleaming public image has since been tarnished by troubling criminal charges, a suspended medical license and a growing number of civil allegations that now threaten to end his career for good.   Jaffer was charged in December with performing surgery while intoxicated, a Texas state jail felony carrying a possible sentence of up to two years behind bars and a $10,000 fine.  Separately, he is fighting a civil lawsuit brought by former patient Michelle Maestas, who accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was recovering from breast augmentation surgery under the effects of anesthesia.  Jaffer has denied all wrongdoing. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Now, the Daily Mail has learned that Maestas may not be the only former patient preparing to take legal action against him. Azul Jaffer, 51, who was known for his scalpel skills, sharp suits and goatee Jaffer's name blazed in large letters on the facade of his million-dollar clinic visible from Interstate 69 in Houston, Texas Tony Buzbee, the high-profile Houston attorney representing Maestas, said he has taken on three additional women who also accused Jaffer of sexual misconduct during medical treatment.  Buzbee said demand letters outlining the new allegations have already been sent to Jaffer ahead of potential lawsuits. 'All are patients. All allege groping or other like assault,' Buzbee told the Daily Mail. 'Many women have come forward. I've only taken four cases thus far… I want the District Attorney to do the work here and secure a conviction as appropriate.'  Sources familiar with the situation told the Daily Mail that Jaffer's life appeared to be unravelling for some time.  One said the doctor appeared to spiral 'out of control,' while another described his Sugar Land clinic as now largely empty after staff dispersed following the mounting investigations. What triggered Jaffer's apparent collapse remains unclear. Jaffer and his wife, Smita, 45, own a $600,000 stone-and-brick home in Sugar Land's affluent Telfair neighborhood. She did not respond to requests for comment, and little is publicly known about the family's personal circumstances. Jaffer, a Tulane and University of Massachusetts-trained surgeon, opened Azul Plastic Surgery in 2009 and steadily built a thriving cosmetic practice specializing in facelifts, rhinoplasties, breast procedures and postpartum restorations. The first allegation against him dates back to 2022.  That October, Maestas underwent a breast augmentation and alleged that as she was awakening from anesthesia in the recovery room, Jaffer sexually assaulted her. A lawsuit filed the following month alleged that a harrowing assault left her 'completely violated and emotionally disturbed.' According to the document, Jaffer repeatedly pressed his penis against her feet before telling her he needed to 'check her bladder.' He then allegedly sexually assaulted her, forced her hand onto his genitals, and put his fingers into her mouth, the complaint claims.  Jaffer was arrested on December 22 and charged with performing surgery while intoxicated, a felony offense, police said. He was released from jail two days later on a $5,000 bond Jaffer and his wife Smita. His medical license was rescinded on December 30 after he allegedly performed operations while intoxicated Jaffer, a Tulane and University of Massachusetts-trained surgeon, opened his surgery practice in 2009 It further alleges he followed her into the restroom after nurses arrived and touched her again before wheeling her to her car. Maestas is seeking damages in excess of $1 million for alleged sexual assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, premises liability and gross negligence. When Maestas reported the alleged assault to Sugar Land police, she discovered that another patient had filed a report two weeks earlier, alleging Jaffer had sexually abused her following a nose surgery, the suit claims. Jaffer sat for a videotaped deposition in March, but according to Buzbee, refused to answer questions or provide testimony. The charges remain unproven. Wesley Wittig, an assistant District Attorney for Fort Bend County, urged any woman with complaints of sexual assault at Jaffer's hands to report them to SLPD. But Wittig stopped short of confirming whether a formal investigation into the growing list of allegations was underway. 'Understand if there are open investigations, neither the police nor our office would be able to comment,' he told the Daily Mail. The sexual assault allegations are only part of the legal trouble enveloping Jaffer. In December, the Texas Medical Board stripped him of his medical license after uncovering seven separate incidents of alleged misconduct between July 3 and August 12, 2025. Over six weeks, investigators found he had repeatedly appeared drunk at work, stumbling through his own clinic, slurring his speech, and smelling of alcohol while seeing and operating on unsuspecting patients. One employee reported seeing Jaffer stumble toward a restroom where investigators later said liquor had been concealed inside a paper towel dispenser. Other employees said they were growing increasingly alarmed about the safety of patients in his care. The board concluded that Jaffer had 'habitually used drugs or intoxicating liquors' at work and represented a 'threat to public welfare,' issuing an emergency order suspending him from practice. Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, where he had performed surgeries, also suspended him. Jaffer's medical building in Sugar Land, outside Houston  The Jaffers own two properties in Sugar Land, including this $605,000 home  Azul Plastic Surgery's website has shown a 'temporary closure' notice since the surgeon's medical license was revoked Jaffer now faces a criminal charge of performing surgery while intoxicated. He was released from jail on a $5,000 bond two days after his December arrest. Jaffer's attorney, Sean McKinney, said at the time there was 'no merit' to the claims. He did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.  The criminal charge is separate from the civil sexual misconduct allegations now being pursued by Buzbee. Legal experts who spoke to the Daily Mail cautioned that those claims can be difficult to prove, particularly when the alleged sexual misconduct took place in a medical setting with few or no witnesses, leaving juries to weigh a 'he said, she said' account. Separately, former employees may be reluctant to testify about the alleged intoxication incidents out of fear they could be seen as complicit for not speaking up sooner, the experts said. For now, Jaffer remains unable to practice medicine in Texas while the criminal case and civil allegations against him continue to unfold. He is next due to appear in criminal court on July 20.