United States: An aesthetician from New York City was arrested Wednesday for giving unauthorized Botox injections to customers who then got sick.
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Federal officials announced Joey Grant Luther’s charges after revealing clients suffered life-threatening conditions during injections at the spa between 2021 and July 2023 at the spa business in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen district.
Authorities charged Luther, who operates an unlicensed Botox practice. At age 54, he faces multiple criminal counts, including wire fraud and drug distribution offenses.
Between April 2023 and July 2023, he bought unauthorized Asian Botox, mostly from China.
A New York aesthetician was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly buying counterfeit Botox from China and injecting it into patients, prosecutors said. https://t.co/RneeqFp518
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The judge allowed Luther to return home after putting up USD 100,000 as bail. An email was sent to Luther’s legal team.
According to US Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon, in her official announcement, Luther marketed packages he obtained from China as authentic Botox to his patients, US News reported.
After learning customers became ill with abnormal symptoms, he continued using this counterfeit medicine.
“Luther’s disregard for the health of his clients put all of his victims in harm’s way and, in some cases, caused life-threatening injuries,” Sassoon noted.
Details of the incident
Court documents show a patient of Luther’s contracted botulism last March right after receiving an injection at his business in March.
According to the criminal complaint, she first noticed vision problems and light-headedness, followed by muscle weakness that affected her speech and heart rate.
Aesthetician charged with injecting customers with counterfeit Botox https://t.co/GCFVpU7RRt
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Tests showed she lost control of her arms. Court documents show Luther misled clients by denying he used fake Botox while telling them side effects were brief and temporary, US News reported.
The search of Luther’s business site in March discovered records indicating at least 700 scheduled Botox treatments, according to court documents.