Mass. woman pleads guilty to performing medical spa injections using counterfeit products

The owner of two Massachusetts medical spas pleaded guilty Tuesday to using counterfeit products to perform thousands of cosmetic injections, according to prosecutors.

Rebecca Fadanelli, 40, of Stoughton, admitted guilt on 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, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release. She was arrested and charged in November 2024.

Fadanelli, the owner of Skin Beaute Med Spa, used counterfeit Botox and dermal fillers imported from China and Brazil at her two locations in Randolph and South Easton. She received more than $1 million in client payments for the procedures, but was not licensed to perform them, prosecutors said.

As early as March 2021, Fadanelli imported counterfeit Botox, Sculptra, and Juvéderm from China and Brazil for use at her two spas. Though she represented herself as a nurse to her clients and employees, she is an aesthetician and was unlicensed to perform injections on her clients, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A former employee told federal prosecutors that Fadanelli purchased the fake Botox from Chinese-owned online marketplace Alibaba, which charged $50 for a vial, according to the charging documents. For comparison, an authentic vial of Botox costs about $650.

Fadanelli faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for importing the illegal merchandise, prosecutors said. On the other two charges, she faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors are asking anyone who believes they received counterfeit services from Fadanelli or the Skin Beaute Med Spa to complete a questionnaire on the FDA’s website.

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