United States: A Massachusetts woman pretended to be a nurse and administered thousands of counterfeit Botox and other fillers made from substances imported into the US, police stated.
Woman Accused of Falsely Practicing
Rebecca Fadanelli from Stoughton, aged 38 years, is due to appear in Worcester before a federal judge on November 14 to answer charges that she violated the law by importing these drugs, dispensing counterfeit drugs, and selling counterfeit devices as charged by the prosecutors, as reported by NBC News.
Fadanelli runs Skin Beaute Med Spa offices in Randolph and South Easton, where she administered counterfeit Botox, Sculptra, and Juvederm. She bought the products from China and Brazil, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
Over 2,700 Treatments with Counterfeit Products
“He performed roughly 1,631 Botox treatments, almost 522,869 in client charges since March 2021, and 1 085 filler appointments, approximately 410,545 in client charges,” federal prosecutors averred.
It was not possible to speak to Fanelli’s legal representation on Monday regarding the matter.
In an interview, when questioned by agents, Fadanelli said that she never said she was a nurse and did not make the injections, the prosecutors revealed.
Denies Administering Treatments
“Fadanelli further stated that she is not a nurse and claimed that she does not administer injectable drugs or devices to Skin Beaute Med Spa’s clients,” according to an affidavit by Brian Hendricks, a special agent for the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations.
“When agents asked Fadanelli if she would like to retract or modify that claim if she knew there was evidence showing that she was, in fact, administering such products, she reiterated that she does not administer injections.”
National Warning on Counterfeit Botox Injections
In June, the CDC provided a warning to consumers that “serious side effects have been reported by the consumers who received injections of fake or otherwise tampered” Botox, as reported by NBC News.
The CDC has reported such cases in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Texas between November 2020 and April this year, resulting in numerous health issues, including blurred vision, slurred speech, and breathing issues.