A Massachusetts spa owner is in hot water for allegedly injecting her customers with Botox and other counterfeit cosmetics. On Friday, federal officials arrested and charged Rebecca Fadanelli, 38, with multiple counts related to the alleged scam.

Depending on the load documents made public Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Fadanelli had been running the alleged scheme since at least March 2021. She is accused of importing counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvederm (the latter two products being agents of dermal filler) from China and Brazil and uses these products in thousands of injections at the two spas she owns in Randolph and South Easton, Massachusetts.

Officials say she performed more than 1,600 Botox appointments and more than 1,000 filler appointments with these fake products between March 2021 and March 2024. Prosecutors say Fadanelli received a total of more than 900 $000 for injections. Additionally, she is accused of lying to clients and employees about her qualifications, claiming she was a nurse when she was only a licensed esthetician. She also reportedly told prosecutors that she never injected clients herself, but other employees reportedly said otherwise.

“For years, Ms. Fadanelli allegedly endangered unsuspecting patients by posing as a nurse and then administering thousands of illegal and counterfeit injections,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, in a press release. statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. “The type of deception alleged here is illegal, reckless and potentially deadly. »

Fadanelli was formally charged with one count of illegally importing goods contrary to law, one count of selling or distributing a counterfeit drug, and one count of selling or distribution of a counterfeit device. She was arrested and made her first appearance in federal court Friday.

Botox is commonly used to safely reduce wrinkles and treat other medical conditions, such as chronic migraines. While it’s possible that Fadanelli’s customers have avoided the harm caused by its products, counterfeit Botox can certainly be a dangerous gamble. Earlier in April, the Food and Drug Administration warned the public that he had recently received reports of dangerous counterfeit Botox being found and used in several states. People injected with these products reportedly developed symptoms shortly afterward, including blurred or double vision, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, constipation, incontinence and weakness, with some requiring hospitalization. .

“Drugs purchased from unauthorized sources may be misbranded, adulterated, counterfeit, contaminated, improperly stored and transported, ineffective, and/or dangerous,” the FDA noted.

Federal prosecutors are asking people who believe they have received counterfeit injections from Fadanelli or its spas since 2021 to contact and complete a questionnaire provided on the FDA website, linked here.