Randy Rosen M.D., an Orange County surgeon and jail inmate accused in a $29 million insurance fraud scheme who is facing decades behind bars, was temporarily set free ahead of the weekend after testing positive for coronavirus to the criticism of local officials.

Rosen, who was involved in a civil federal lawsuit involving a health care fraud scheme at a Long Beach hospital that was settled in 2017, was was indicted in this new case along with co-defendant Liza Vismanos

Vismanos owns the Wellness Wave surgical center in Beverly Hills and the Lotus Labs medical laboratory in Los Alamitos. Rosen/Vismanos entered into a fraud scheme specifically targeting patients from addiction recovery rehabs to bill their private medical insurance carriers primarily for two types of procedures; a non-FDA approved Naltrexone implant and Cortisone injections.

Rosen and Visamanos were first arrested back on June 30 on a combined 144 counts including money laundering, submitting fraudulent insurance claims and withholding material facts on insurance claims.

CBS Los Angeles reports that District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the release of 57-year-old Rosen – who is being monitored by an electronic bracelet – unfair.

Rosen’s attorney argued before a judge that Rosen “is at substantial risk of poor outcome (of the coronavirus) because of his multiple co-morbidities for his current COVID-19 infection which requires medical follow-up.”

Rosen faces a maximum sentence of 84 years in state prison if convicted as charged, while Visamanos faces 36 years.

After Rosen’s positive COVID-19 test, he has been released, and now Spitzer is calling him a flight risk and questioned whether he would leave the country.

“If I knew I had an out for 30 days and money available and the means to get the heck of out this country, quite frankly I think I’d probably take the opportunity,” Spitzer said. “Whether we see him back again is the big question.”