A woman who worked for a Miami dermatology clinic is facing charges after authorities said she allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of Botox-type products to give patients unlicensed injections while pocketing their payments.
Eliany Collazo-Llosa, 28, was arrested Wednesday on charges of grand theft, exploitation of the elderly, and practicing medicine without a license, an arrest report said.
According to the report, the alleged crimes happened while Collazo-Llosa was working at a dermatology clinic on West Flagler Street as a “facialist.”
In May, it was brought to the owner’s attention that Collazo-Llosa had been stealing from the company and the owner discovered that over 66 vials of Xeomin, a drug similar to Botox that’s used to treat wrinkles, valued at $495 per vial, along with an unknown number of Juvederm vials, were missing from the clinic’s inventory with a total value around $32,000, the report said.
The owner searched Collazo-Llosa’s office space and found used syringes of Juvederm and Xeomin, and the serial numbers matched those missing from the clinic’s inventory, the report said.
Two boxes of Xeomin were also found in Collazo-Llosa’s workspace, the report said.
The owner said Collazo-Llosa wasn’t authorized to perform any invasive medical procedures including injections, only facial treatments.
Video showed multiple patients treated by Collazo-Llosa leaving the clinic without making payments, and investigators discovered that while Collazo-Llosa was employed by the clinic, she received around $90,000 in Zelle payments, the report said.
Detectives determined multiple clients had paid Collazo-Llosa through Zelle for Botox and filler procedures, and several clients said Collazo-Llosa offered to perform the procedures at a discount if they met at their homes instead of the clinic, the report said.
On Collazo-Llosa’s company-owned laptop, investigators found a Google calendar with numerous client appointments for Botox and filler procedures, and several were scheduled for hours that Collazo-Llosa was working at the clinic, the report said.
The Florida Department of Health later confirmed Collazo-Llosa doesn’t have any medical or aesthetic licenses in the state.
In addition, the report said the clinic’s owner had been relying on Collazo-Llosa for some of the daily operations of the clinic due to her advancing age, and Collazo-Llosa “exploited this position of trust.”
Collazo-Llosa was arrested and booked into jail. She appeared in bond court of Thursday where a prosecutor said the alleged victim is 82.
Her attorney disputed the charges but the judge found probable cause, setting her bond at $15,000 and ordering her to stay away from the alleged victim.
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