For $500, a nip here and a tuck there could have killed a 23-year-old woman recently.
The Queens District Attorney’s (DA) Office charged Barbara Nieto, 27, on Monday, April 12 with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and the unauthorized practice of medicine for an alleged liposuction she performed on Augusta Velez this past March.
“The defendant is accused of nearly causing the death of a young woman by performing medical procedures without a license,” said DA Richard A. Brown. “Her alleged conduct was both dangerous and reprehensible because it exploited the vanity of an individual seeking a more attractive appearance at a reasonable cost and caused her victim to suffer permanent scarring – both physically and emotionally.”
Only licensed to operate a business that could perform appearance enhancements – cosmetology, esthetics, nail specialty, natural hair styling and waxing – Nieto, allegedly told Velez that she could remove fat from her stomach area and re-insert it into her buttocks.
Nieto, who worked out of both Perfect Image Stethics located at 40-63 Junction Boulevard and Bell Stetika Esthetics and Spa located at 93-28A Corona Avenue, allegedly injected Velez with a substance to numb the pain and then cut open her stomach. After she sucked the fat out, Nieto allegedly injected Velez again in the buttocks and inserted the fat. Nieto then allegedly stitched Velez up and told her about follow-up procedures.
According to the DA, a few days after the procedure Velez allegedly began to feel severe pain and developed a high fever that caused her to seek medical attention at Flushing Hospital on March 27, 2010. She underwent surgery for bilateral buttocks abscesses.
A rarity in New York State, the price of this alleged botched liposuctions could have been “a septic infection which would have led to death,” said the DA. If convicted, Nieto could face up to seven years in prison.
“We don’t get complaints like this,” said Joel Barkin, a spokesperson for the NYS Department of State (DOS), the agency that licenses businesses, about botched liposuctions. DOS received the complaint about Nieto – her first – and they investigated. When they felt had reasonable evidence of a crime, they referred the case to the DA. “We had the issue with the fish pedicures, but nothing like this.”
To check whether someone has been properly licensed by the state to perform appearance enhancements, visit the New York State Division of Licensing Services website or call 518-474-4429.
