A Florida couple who administered butt injections to women without medical licenses pleaded guilty to their actions this week, authorities say.
The Miami Herald reports that Samela Hernandez, 55, and her 59-year-old husband, Pedro, were arrested in Hialeah, Fla. in 2012. Samela Hernandez had dealt with Colombia's "thriving" butt injections market, and while the silicon-based product which she used in Colombia is legal there, it isn't in the United States. Their demise was an exotic dancer who was rendered permanently disfigured, triggering an investigation into their illegal practice:
Hialeah detectives seized a slew of medical equipment including syringes and Lidocaine, plus a list of clients and procedures. Two more victims were at the house at the time. They told police they had undergone procedures for months; one said she believed Hernandez was a nurse.
The exotic dancer told police that after the first injection, she returned to the Hernandez house and they administered “more solution into the void area of her buttocks to ‘fill in’ the gaps between the welts.
Both pleaded guilty to practicing health care without a license on Thursday. In addition to spending the next two years on house arrest (with the exception of departing for work), they'll pay restitution to the victim.
