STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) – A Stoughton spa owner was arrested Friday for allegedly giving thousands of illegal injections of fake Botox and fillers, officials said.
Rebecca Fadanelli, 38, owner of Skin Beaute Med Spa, is accused of importing counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvederm from China and Brazil since March 2021, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Fadanelli, who is an esthetician and not a licensed nurse, allegedly received more than $900,000 in client payments for the fake drug injections at the spa’s Randolph and South Easton locations, the office said in a statement.
One of her clients reported her to the Federal Drug Administration, sparking an investigation.
According to court documents, a search of Fadanelli’s devices turned up communications with clients.
The documents said that “… one customer complained of ‘sag eyes’ while another complained of ‘little balls’ developing on her lips. Another customer… sent Fadanelli a message complaining that she had a hard ‘knot’ under her eye and that her eyes appeared to be ‘sunken’ as a result of the procedure.’
From March 2021 to March of this year, Fadanelli performed about 1,631 Botox appointments totaling $522,869 in client payments and 1,085 appointments for fillers totaling $410,545, payment records show.
“For years, Ms. Fantanelli allegedly endangered unsuspecting patients by posing as a nurse and then administered thousands of illegal, counterfeit injections,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement.
“Protecting the people of Massachusetts covers a wide range of conduct, and here it includes an individual who ignored safety regulations against bringing unapproved, counterfeit drugs and devices into our country and put the health of hundreds of her customers at risk,” he continued. “The type of fraud alleged here is illegal, reckless and potentially life-threatening.”
He is charged with unlawful importation of goods contrary to law, sale or distribution of a counterfeit drug, and sale or distribution of a counterfeit device.
Fadanelli appeared in federal court in Worcester on Friday afternoon. She was released and ordered not to use any of the injectables and only to perform procedures that are within her license.
One of her friends was on hand to support her, calling Fadanelli a “very good person” outside the courthouse. Fadanelli herself declined to speak after the hearing.
Anyone who believes they may have received fake injections or medication from Fadanelli or Skin Beaute Med Spa after March 2021 is asked to fill out this questionnaire on the FDA website.
This is a developing story. stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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