Counterfeit Beauty Injections Claim the Lives of 2 in Southern Texas
Southern Texas has experienced a rash of injuries and 2 deaths that have resulted from counterfeit cosmetic injections. In 2014, Elva Navarro was prosecuted for administering counterfeit beauty injections. Navarro received a 5-year sentence for the death of one of her clients, and another 3 years for injecting her clients with a fake dermal filler that was actually industrial-grade silicone.
Who: FBI, FDA-Office of Criminal Investigations, FDA-Forensic Chemistry Center, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, and the DOJ.
When: March 5, 2016, November 2013-March 2014.
Where: Hidalgo, Texas , United States
How: Local law enforcement investigation after a client ended up in the ICU.
Additional details: Navarro’s prosecution was the first of several cases in Southern Texas where patients have been injured or killed by fake beauty injections. Since Navarro’s arrest, Nohemi Gonzalez and Graciela Trevino Leon have been indicted on charges alleging they were also injecting patients with liquid silicone. One of Gonzales’ clients also died under her care. Another fake dermal filler practitioner, Maribel Quintero, has pleaded guilty to charges she injected her Texas clients with industrial silicone. Quintero was sentenced to 16 months in Federal prison on October 5, 2015.
Related sources:
” Spa Owner Indicted On Federal Charges,” Department of Justice. March 19, 2014.
” Spa Owner Pleads Guilty as Trial Set to Begin,” Department of Justice. June 9, 2014.
“Fake botox” spa owner gets three years in federal prison,”Valley Central. December 12, 2014.
” South Texas woman gets 5 years for client’s Botox death,” KBTX. March 5, 2016.
” UNITED STATES: ONE PERSON DIED AND 30 PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED HEALTH PROBLEMS FOLLOWING THE INJECTION OF FAKE BOTOX,” IRACM. April 2 5, 2014.
“ South Texas woman gets 5 years for client’s Botox death,” KBTX. March 5, 2016.
” October 5, 2015: Pharr Woman Sentenced in Liquid Silicone Injection Case,” FDA. October 5, 2015.
” Dangers of clandestine cosmetic procedures,” The Monitor. November 4, 2014.