Mass. spa owners accused of injecting customers with fake Botox

The owner of spas in Randolph and South Easton is accused of making nearly $1 million by injecting customers with fake Botox and fillers, according to a federal indictment filed this weekend.

Rebecca Fadanelli, 38, is charged with one count of illegal importation of unlawful goods, one count of sale or delivery of a counterfeit drug and one count of sale or delivery of a counterfeit device, Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua announced S. Levy, known.

Fadanelli, who owns Skin Beaute Med Spa, was arrested Friday and will appear in federal court in Worcester on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Fadanelli, of Stoughton, has been purchasing counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvederm from China and Brazil since 2021. Through March of this year, Fadanelli injected Botox in 1,631 appointments for a total of $522,869 and injected fillers in 1,085 appointments for a total of $410,545.

Levy also alleges that Fadanelli “consistently represented” to her clients and employees that she was a nurse, but was in fact a registered esthetician and was not licensed or certified to administer the medications. According to court documents, Fadanelli told investigators that she did not inject her clients, while her co-worker claimed she did.

“The type of deception alleged here is illegal, reckless and potentially life-threatening,” Levy said in a statement. “Today’s arrest underscores our commitment to protecting the public from fraudulent and dangerous practices in the medical and cosmetic fields.”

A former employee told federal prosecutors that Fadanelli purchased the Botox from Chinese online marketplace Alibaba, which charged $50 for a vial. (A real Botox vial costs about $650, billing documents say.)

The importation penalty includes up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The other two counts carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 each.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office is asking all customers of Fadanelli or Skin Beaute Med Spa between 2021 to fill out a questionnaire.

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Molly Farrar is a general reporter for Boston.com covering education, politics, crime and more.

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