04-04-2025
Fake NYC doctor charged after botched butt implant procedure leaves woman brain dead
Fake NYC doctor charged after botched butt implant procedure leaves woman brain dead
Prosecutors this week charged a man posing as a doctor with assault and unauthorized practice of a profession after a 31-year-old woman went into cardiac arrest during a botched cosmetic surgery at his New York City home, leaving her brain-dead.
Felipe Hoyos Foronda was arrested at 11:30 p.m. on March 28 in connection to the medical procedure after being apprehended at JFK International Airport while allegedly attempting to flee the country, according to information from the New York Police Department and court papers obtained by USA TODAY.
Foronda, 38, was arraigned on the felony charges Sunday, a Queens County Criminal Court spokesperson told USA TODAY Friday morning.
The woman, whose name was redacted from a criminal complaint filed Saturday, reportedly visited Foronda's home on 35th Street in Queens between 1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. on March 28 to have butt lift implants removed.
There, a police detective wrote in the complaint, Foronda administered lidocaine to the woman through a syringe, causing her to go into cardiac arrest.
The woman was taken to a hospital where, the detective wrote, a doctor told police she was intubated, had no brain activity, and was "not likely to survive.'
Her condition was not immediately known on Friday.
Doctor sues: John Oliver hit with defamation suit over 'Last Week Tonight' episode
Fake doctor who police say botched procedure due in court
Originally from Colombia, Foronda was booked into jail where, on Friday, online New York Department of Corrections records showed he remained held without bond.
He is slated to appear in Queens County Criminal Court on April 28.
A court spokesperson said a judge appointed a public defender to represent him.
USA TODAY has reached out to that attorney.
NYT: Man 'planned to take a connecting flight to Colombia'
According to an internal police report obtained by The New York Times, the woman visited Foronda's home "to have her buttock implants removed."
When a friend of the injured woman went to the home to pick her up after the surgery, the outlet reported, she learned the procedure went south and called police.
After speaking with Foronda's landlord, arriving officers obtained a license plate from Foronda's vehicle and tracked his car to JFK, the report said. Port Authority police, the outlet wrote, found Foronda waiting to board a flight to Florida, "where he had planned to take a connecting flight to Colombia."
Foronda, who posed as a doctor, promoted cosmetic surgery services on social media sites including TikTok.
His page, with more than 100 followers, advertises prices for procedures including Botox and more, and also includes videos and photos of people undergoing a slew of procedures.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
