Queens man pleads not guilty to manslaughter charges in butt implant removal death
A Queens man has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other charges in the death of 31-year-old mother of two.
Prosecutors say Maria Penaloza died after she underwent an unlicensed procedure to remove her silicone butt implants. They say Felipe Hoyos Foronda, 37, performed the illegal cosmetic surgery at his Astoria apartment, which had been converted into a makeshift medical office with an exam table, cosmetic injectable syringes, and exam lights.
An attorney for Hoyos Foronda entered a not guilty plea on his behalf on charges of manslaughter, assault and unauthorized practice of a profession.
"The defendant stated in sum and substance I put her on an IV and injected her with lidocaine and saline… I'm not a licensed doctor here," prosecutors claim Hoyos Foronda said in a videotaped statement.
Hoyos Foronda further told police she started slurring her speech and stopped speaking, prosecutors said.
"She had low pressure and a low pulse, I administered CPR," Hoyos Foronda said in a statement, according to prosecutors.
Suspect was found buying coffee at the airport
Hoyos Foronda called 911 and then bolted for John F. Kennedy International Airport to try to leave the country, prosecutors said. When officers arrived at his home, they found Penaloza unresponsive. They tracked his car using the city's license plate reader and found him at the airport. He was trying to fly to Colombia, according to authorities.
"Port Authority police were able to apprehend this defendant on the Starbucks line at Terminal 5 at JFK Airport," prosecutors said. Authorities searched his car at the airport, and found syringes, empty bottles of lidocaine, and empty bottles of human growth hormone, according to prosecutors.
Penaloza went into cardiac arrest and died 14 days later.
In court, prosecutors said the business operated by word of mouth.
"Her friend told her to go to him 'cause he was a good doctor," Valentina Penaloza, Maria's niece, said. She said her aunt didn't know he wasn't a doctor.
Family members told CBS News New York's Alice Gainer they think Hoyos Foronda is a murderer. They say they want justice, and life will never be the same without her.
"If there's any other victims of his illegal activity for holding himself out to be a surgeon, please come forward," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
Prosecutors say Hoyos Foronda is a textbook flight risk. He's been remanded. His next court date is on June 3. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter.
