August 2, 2016: Colombian National Charged for Unlawfully Injecting Silicone into Victims' Bodies
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U.S. Department of Justice Press Release
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For Immediate Release |
United States Department of Justice Southern District of Florida |
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A Colombian national was charged criminally for unlawfully injecting silicone into victims’ bodies for aesthetic enhancements, without a medical license or approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert J. West, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Juan David Acosta, 44, of Hallendale Beach, is charged by criminal information with two counts of receipt in interstate commerce of a misbranded device and delivery for pay with intent to defraud or mislead, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 331(c) and 333(a)(2). If convicted, Acosta faces a maximum statutory sentence of three years in prison as to each count.
According to the information, Acosta engaged in the business of administering injections of polydimethylsiloxane, commonly referred to as silicone, into the bodies of other individuals. Acosta was paid thousands of dollars for this service. Specifically, on July 29, 2015 and again on August 9, 2015, Acosta, at his residence in the Southern District of Florida, injected silicone into the buttocks of two victims in order to affect the size, contour, and structure of that portion of the human body for aesthetic purposes. The injection of silicone into the human body in this manner, regardless of whether such injection was dispensed and administered by a licensed practitioner, requires an FDA-approved application. Acosta did not advise the victims that silicone was being injected into their bodies. Acosta is not a licensed medical practitioner and he had not received FDA approval to administer the injections.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FDA-OCI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sherriff’s Office Narcotics Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Katz.
An information is merely an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.