A spa owner from Stoughton who posed as a nurse while allegedly injecting thousands of fake injections of Botox and other cosmetics over a three-year period, earning more than $900,000, was arrested Friday, according to federal prosecutors.
Rebecca Fadanelli, 38, owner of Skin Beaute Med Spa locations in Easton and Randolph made her first appearance in federal court in Worcester on Friday afternoon, according to the US Attorney’s office.
She is charged with one count of illegally importing merchandise contrary to law, one count of selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug, and one count of selling or dispensing a counterfeit device, prosecutors said in a news release.
She was released on a $10,000 secured bond. Her next court date is Nov. 14, court records show.
Fadanelli is alleged to have illegally imported fake prescription drugs and devices from China and Brazil — all while falsely representing herself as being medically certified to dispense and administer them, prosecutors said.
The products — primarily counterfeit versions of Botox, Sculptra, and Juvederm — were administered to hundreds of clients over the course of more than 2,600 appointments between March 2021 and March 2024, prosecutors said. After the injections, clients complained of various side effects such as lumps under the skin, “droopy eyes,” and “little balls” developing in the lips, according to charging documents.
Fadanelli, who is licensed as an aesthetician, was not allowed to administer prescription drugs, prosecutors said.
The case against Fandelli originated as part of federal customs investigation into international packages believed to contain unapproved prescription drugs, according to charging documents. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also received a separate complaint from a Skin Beaute client, who experienced side effects after receiving lip filler injections from Fadanelli in September 2022.
Shipment records obtained by prosecutors show “no indication” that Fadanelli ever purchased authentic prescriptions of Botox, Juvederm, or Sculptra from their approved manufacturers, according to charging documents.
When interviewed by investigators, Fadanelli acknowledged to investigators that she was not a nurse, claiming that she did not perform injections, according to charging documents. However, several employees and customers told investigators that Fadanelli had indeed administered injections herself, while claiming to be a licensed nurse.
Investigators said it is likely that Fadanelli has continued to illegally administer the counterfeit injections, citing several social media posts earlier this month advertising Botox and skin filler services.
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.