A Queens man has been arrested after police say he performed illegal cosmetic surgeries, leaving one woman in a critical condition.
New York police arrested Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, 38, at the John F. Kennedy International Airport with a ticket to Colombia on Friday night. He now faces second-degree assault and unauthorized practice of a profession charges, according to a criminal complaint provided to The Independent by the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Hoyos-Foronda has since pleaded not guilty, NBC New York reports.
Police say a 31-year-old went to Hoyos-Foronda’s home on Friday to have her butt implants removed, CBS News reports. But when she arrived, Hoyos-Foronda allegedly injected her with lidocaine, which caused her to go into cardiac arrest, according to the criminal complaint.
Hoyos-Foronda called EMS and then left, police say. The woman was unresponsive when officers arrived at his home. She was taken to Astoria General Hospital and is currently intubated without any brain activity, according to the criminal complaint. She’s likely suffering from lidocane toxicity, her care team told police.
She likely won’t survive.
Hoyos-Foronda was operating out of an apartment "as a medical office with medical exam table, cosmetic injectable syringes, exam lights,” police say. Prosecutors say he applied botox and fillers, and even liposuction, inside his apartment on 35th Street in Astoria.
Investigators were able to find Hoyos-Foronda after his landlord provided his name and picture. They also found his license plate on a vehicle driving near JFK Airport.
Hoyos-Foronda is expected back in court on Thursday, NBC New York reports. Second-degree assault carries a maximum of seven years in prison, while falsely practicing a profession carries a maximum of four years in prison.
Police are also urging anyone who may have also been a victim of his to come forward, according to CBS News.
