A 31-year-old New York City woman has died after an unlicensed surgeon botched a procedure to remove her butt implants, authorities said.
The victim, 31-year-old María Peñaloza from Queens, went into cardiac arrest and was declared brain-dead last month after a man posing as a plastic surgeon attempted to remove the implants, according to court documents.
Felipe Hoyos-Foronda allegedly performed the operation “without a license to do so and while not in a medical facility” on March 28, a criminal complaint from the Queens District Attorney’s Office says.
Hoyos-Foronda, 38, allegedly administered lidocaine to Peñaloza via a syringe, “causing her to go into cardiac arrest,” prosecutors said.
The victim was removed from Hoyos-Foronda’s home and taken to Astoria General Hospital, where she was intubated and had “no brain activity,” prosecutors said.
The doctor treating Peñaloza at the hospital told prosecutors that her condition demonstrated signs of “lidocaine toxicity” and that she would be “not likely to survive,” the complaint said.
Hoyos-Foronda was arrested after the botched surgery and was charged with second degree assault and unauthorized practice of profession, the NYPD told ABC News. He is currently being held at Otis Bantum Correctional Center in East Elmhurst, New York, according to custody reports.
“Whenever circumstances change in a case we re-examine the charges,” the DA’s office said about upgrading the charges after Peñaloza’s death. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and we cannot provide further comment.”
Attorney information for Hoyos-Foronda was not immediately available. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 28.
