A fake doctor in New York City has been taken into custody following allegations that he left a woman brain-dead after performing a surgery in his home.
Fake doctor tries to flee country
Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, 38, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday and faces charges of second-degree assault and unauthorized practice of a profession.
The 31-year-old woman allegedly visited Hoyos-Foronda’s residence in Queens on the night of March 28, 2025, seeking to have her butt implants removed.
The location, which authorities describe as an unlicensed medical setup, was where Hoyos-Foronda reportedly administered multiple lidocaine injections.
Shortly after receiving the injections, the woman suffered cardiac arrest. Hoyos-Foronda allegedly called 911 but took off in his car before help arrived.
Authorities were provided with Hoyos-Foronda’s details and a picture by the landlord of the building.
First responders arrived at the home and found the victim unconscious. She was rushed to Astoria General Hospital, where medical staff determined that she had likely suffered from lidocaine toxicity due to an excessive amount of the anesthetic.
Due to the critical state of her health, the woman was later transferred to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital for further treatment.
Fake doctor caught at airport
Investigators with the Port Authority Police Department were alerted to Hoyos-Foronda’s movements when a license plate reader identified his vehicle heading south on the Van Wyck Expressway towards JFK Airport shortly after the incident.
He was apprehended after passing through security at the airport, where he had purchased a ticket to Colombia.
Medical personnel at the hospital informed law enforcement that the victim was on life support with no signs of brain activity and is unlikely to survive.
A neighbor, who chose to remain anonymous, told the New York Daily News that Hoyos-Foronda had been seeing a number of patients before the tragic event.
“There was a steady stream of middle-class Latino women coming in and out for months,” the neighbor said. “It was strange but we never imagined it was anything dangerous.”
Authorities suspect that Hoyos-Foronda previously performed similar unlicensed procedures in Miami.
Fraudulent dentist injured multiple patients
Meanwhile, in a separate case, a New York woman has been accused of running illegal dental practices and harming patients.
Yolany Y. Mejia Carranza, 55, allegedly operated an unauthorized dental office out of her Long Island home, the Suffolk County Police Department reported.
Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina revealed that the investigation into Carranza was launched after detectives received multiple reports from patients claiming they had sustained injuries from her treatments.
One of them reportedly experienced “severe nerve damage that led to partial facial paralysis,” Catalina stated during a press briefing.
Detectives also suspect that Carranza previously operated another fraudulent dental clinic.
“She did not use anesthesia, but she used a local anesthesia, but no one was getting the anesthesia for the complex dental procedures she was doing,” Catalina explained. “She was a full-service dentist.”
Investigators believe Carranza had been running her illicit practice for about eight years, catering primarily to low-income individuals without dental insurance.
According to police, she accepted only cash payments for her services.
“We think she was targeting the Hispanic community, mostly people who did not have health insurance and many of whom may have been in the country illegally,” Catalina said. “I think her patients were in grave danger.”
Carranza was arrested at her Bay Shore home earlier this month. During the search of the premises, authorities discovered antibiotics that had been imported from foreign countries.
She has been charged with three counts of Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, a class E felony in New York. Under state law, a class E felony carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
Carranza has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has surrendered her passport. She is scheduled to appear in court again on April 1.
The judge presiding over the case has issued an order prohibiting Carranza from contacting one of the patients who is serving as a witness in the case.
