SAN JOSE — A San Jose couple was arraigned earlier this month in connection to a “med spa” business operated out of their East San Jose home in which they performed injections of Botox and fillers without a license, the Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney said.
Monica Canales, 45, and James Carey, 48, were arraigned May 9; the couple faces multiple felony charges for the unlicensed practice of medicine for performing Botox injections, lip fillers and other beauty treatments from their home between August 2020 and September 2021, according to court documents.
Deputy District Attorney Ann Huntley told Bay Area News Group that no injuries were reported by any of the six victims attached to the court case.
“Everybody is really damn lucky that nothing worse … occurred,” Huntley said. “When you go to someone that’s not licensed and not trained, you have no idea what’s being injected into you.”
Canales also faces a felony charge of unlawfully attempting to use a doctor’s license and electronic signature to obtain Botox, according to court documents. A local dentist complained to investigators that Canales stole her identity in order to purchase Botox — a drug commonly used to smooth wrinkles — and other substances.
Huntley said that Canales leased an office out of the dentist’s practice for a few months. The dentist repeatedly asked Canales, who claimed to be a nurse, for her licensing information, and terminated the lease when Canales was caught using the dentist’s electronic signature in an attempt to purchase Botox, Huntley said.
Canales was not able to use the dentist’s signature to purchase Botox or any other drugs, Huntley added.
“The question is to where (Canales and Carey) were obtaining their product from,” Huntley said. “It’s a huge question.”
If convicted, the couple faces incarceration and fines, according to the DA’s Office. Carey also has a prior felony conviction for assault with intent to rape in Santa Clara County, court records indicate.
Carey’s attorney, Michael Paez, declined to comment on the case.
A similar case is pending for a Saratoga man accused of posing as a plastic surgeon to give injections to a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship. Brody Amir Moazzeni was charged with one felony count of practicing medicine without certification and faces a maximum of one year in prison if convicted. He has a plea hearing set for July 14, according to court records.
San Mateo County prosecutors have charged a Florida woman with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a local woman after she received silicone injections in a Burlingame hotel room.
Huntley said she urges people to avoid getting “under the table” cosmetic procedures done to save money, calling the practice “incredibly dangerous.”
“I’m saying this as a woman who supports women in doing what they need to do to feel young and youthful and beautiful,” she said. “Just do it safely.”
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