Fake nurse pockets £750k after carrying out 2,000 bogus cosmetics injections leaving customers with horror injuries

AN UNLICENSED nurse pocketed over £750,000 after carrying out more than 2,000 fake cosmetic procedures. Rebecca Fadanelli, 40, deceived around 900 clients and left several with horrific injuries while injecting them with counterfeit products. Fadanelli posed as a licensed nurse while defrauding her clients Credit: Jam Press/@skinbeautespa She left several of her patients with serious side effects Credit: Jam Press/@Becafada She performed the illegal procedures at two Skin Beaute Med Spas she owned in Randolph and South Easton, Massachusetts. Although Fadanelli told clients she used FDA-approved dermal fillers, such as Sculptra, Restylane and Juvéderm, she was in fact using black-market Botox imported from China and Brazil. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Some of her clients were hospitalised after suffering horrific side effects including infections, facial and eye paralysis, double vision and impaired eyesight. One client was hospitalised for weeks for severe facial swelling, headaches, weakness and fever-like symptoms following the scam procedure. Prosecutors say another customer suffered impaired vision for three months. Doctors treated a third unfortunate client after they experienced facial drooping and paralysis, double vision and headaches. Fadanelli allegedly often dismissed client concerns, claiming that she used FDA-approved products and told some clients to return for additional treatments. From at least March 2021, she falsely claimed to be a registered nurse despite having no licence to perform injections or administer prescription drugs. Most read in The Sun Officials say her employees did not know that she was an unlicensed nurse. Fadanelli sourced the phony drugs on Alibaba “because they were cheaper,” a former employee told police. Prosecutors say she made over £750k from the scams Credit: Jam Press/@Becafada She pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 46 months in prison Credit: Jam Press/@Becafada At a federal court in Boston, she pleaded guilty to four counts of importing merchandise contrary to law, two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug and two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit device in April, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She has been jailed for 46 months followed by two years of supervised release. The court also ordered her to pay £738,947 in restitution and the same amount in forfeiture. Authorities initially seized counterfeit goods addressed to her in June 2024. However, she still continued administering the dangerous products after using different delivery addresses and recipient names. During a search of the premises, investigators found bacteriostatic water, which is used to dilute Botox, that contained methylobacterium, a bacterium that can cause infection. Investigators uncovered she had made more than £750k from defrauding clients with bogus treatments. Fadanelli told federal agents she was unsure if the products were FDA approved. She allegedly stopped using them after being notified they were “not allowed,” according to charging documents. While on pre-trial release in May 2025, prosecutors say she performed an injection procedure at her home using what she claimed was the dermal filler Sculptra. Fadanelli was arrested in November 2025, where she has remained since. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said: “This was not a mistake or a one-time lapse in judgment. “Rebecca Fadanelli built a business on deception and repeatedly put profit ahead of the health and safety of the people who trusted her.“Her victims were left with infections, facial paralysis, vision problems, scars and the lasting fear of not knowing what was injected into their bodies. “As cosmetic injections and med spas continue to grow in popularity, this case underscores a serious and growing public health threat: counterfeit products and unlicensed providers can cause devastating harm. “Those who knowingly put consumers at risk for profit will be held accountable.” Comment now