Two Miami-Dade Women Arrested for Performing Illegal Plastic Surgeries

  • Two Miami-Dade women were recently arrested and charged with providing unlicensed plastic surgery services.
  • The women allegedly performed hundreds of “Butt Lift” procedures over a seven year period.
  • The women are facing a 20 count indictment.

Over the past decade or so the popularity of plastic surgery targeting the buttocks has steadily grown in popularity. Popular culture has helped fuel this trend, with such celebrities as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Lopez, all gaining notoriety for their posteriors. With the increased attention to the lower half of the body, plastic surgeons have innovated various methods to enhance the profile of the buttocks. And, as with so many of other cosmetic procedures, charlatans have also begun offering buttock enhancements in unlicensed facilities.

Two Miami-Dade residents were recently arrested for injecting silicone into their spa clients, essentially attempting to perform a cosmetic surgery procedure known as a Brazilian Butt Lift. The injections are meant to round out the contours of the buttocks, and have been a popular way for women to receive immediate results without having to undergo surgery. But there are risks.

In a CBS Miami piece about the arrests, Special Agent in Charge, Justin D. Green of FDA-OCI Miami said “Serious harm, including death, can occur when individuals have liquid silicone or other substances injected into their buttocks to increase their size.  The FDA has not approved liquid silicone or other injectable substances to increase the size of the buttocks.” 

The two women arrested in connection with the scheme, Magaly Del Rosario and Maribel Jimenez, worked at Bella Beauty spa on 83rd Avenue and West Flagler. For a period of 7 years, from 2008 to 2015, they injected their victims with silicone which they had smuggled from Colombia. There were reportedly hundreds of clients over the years.

The 20 count indictment against the women claims that they did not inform their customers of the dangers of the injections. The investigation began after women complained of complications from the procedures.