A man posing as a doctor has been arrested and charged following a botched cosmetic surgery procedure that left a 31-year-old woman brain-dead.
Felipe Hoyos Foronda, 38, was charged with assault and unauthorized practice of a profession after a deadly botched butt implant removal in his New York City home.
Foronda was arrested on March 28 at JFK International Airport, where he was allegedly attempting to flee the country.
Police apprehended him just before he boarded a flight to Florida, where he planned to catch a connecting flight to Colombia, according to court documents and reports from the New York Police Department.
The woman, whose name has been withheld, visited Foronda’s home on 35th Street in Queens between 1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. for the removal of her buttock implants.
During the procedure, Foronda administered lidocaine via syringe, which caused the woman to go into cardiac arrest. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors confirmed she had no brain activity and was unlikely to survive, as detailed in the criminal complaint.
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Her current condition was not immediately available as of Friday, but her family and friends are understandably devastated by the loss of her health and well-being.
Foronda, originally from Colombia, promoted his fake medical services on social media platforms, including TikTok, where he offered cosmetic surgery procedures despite not being a licensed medical professional.
Police learned about the incident when a friend of the woman went to pick her up from the procedure and called authorities after discovering the surgery had gone horribly wrong.
Foronda’s arrest has highlighted the dangers of unlicensed practitioners in the field of cosmetic surgery, with the woman’s tragic fate serving as a stark reminder of the importance of verifying credentials when seeking medical procedures.
Currently being held without bond at the Queens County Jail, Foronda is scheduled to appear in court on April 28. He has been assigned a public defender, and further details about his case are expected to unfold in the coming weeks.
