Med Spa Owner Pleads Guilty to Performing Thousands of Injections Using Counterfeit Products

BOSTON - A Stoughton, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges relating to thousands of injections she performed using counterfeit Botox and dermal fillers imported from China and Brazil. The defendant, who was not licensed to perform injections, received more than $1 million in client payments for these procedures.

Rebecca Fadanelli, 40, 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. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for July 1, 2026. Fadanelli was arrested and charged in November 2024.

According to the charging documents, beginning in at least March 2021, Fadanelli, the owner of Skin Beaute Med Spa with locations in Randolph and South Easton, Mass., imported counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvéderm from China and Brazil and performed thousands of injections using these and other counterfeit drugs and devices for which she received more than $1 million in client payments. Fadanelli falsely represented to her clients and employees that she was a nurse; in fact, Fadanelli is an aesthetician and was never licensed to perform injections or otherwise dispense or administer prescription drugs or devices.

The charge of importing merchandise contrary to law provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of knowingly selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

If you or a family member believe you received services involving a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device from Fadanelli and/or Skin Beaute Med Spa between 2021 and 2025, please complete the questionnaire located on the FDA's website at https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/criminal-investigations/oci-vw-assistanceLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. Information about the status of the case is located on the U.S. Attorney's Office website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/united-states-v-rebecca-fadanelli.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The Medicaid Fraud Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office and the Stoughton and Randolph Police Departments also provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Wright and Sarah Hoefle of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.