A man and a woman have been taken into custody in Aventura, accused of operating an unlicensed cosmetic surgery clinic, police reported. The duo, Joao Batista Cunha De Araujo, 56, and Amanda Soares Felizardo Ungaro, 40, face numerous charges including the unlicensed practice of medicine, grand theft, and participating in an organized scheme to defraud, as per arrest warrants obtained by NBC Miami. Aventura Police were tipped off last year via CrimeStoppers, leading to the discovery of the alleged unlicensed medical office located on Northeast 214th Street.
The pair made bold claims on social media, with De Araujo representing himself as a physician from Brazil, though not credentialed in the United States, while Ungaro managed administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments and medications, as outlined in the warrants. Ungaro's phone revealed videos of her conducting injections and a facial laser procedure under De Araujo's guidance, NBC Miami reported. In January, an undercover operation by officers seeking chin liposuction, provided further evidence, leading to their arrest.
The investigation into De Araujo's activities at the so-called Miami Beauty Academy on 2820 NE 214th St expanded with revelations about the renting of office space to other unlicensed doctors for procedures and training. An undercover detective's consultation about potential procedures further implicated Araujo, who also recommended a prescription weight-loss drug. Medications with Portuguese labels and vials of the generic weight loss drug tirzepatide were found in a subsequent search, Local10.com shared. Araujo and Ungaro, who live together, are currently tied to these allegations through seized text messages and materials.
One patient told investigators that De Araujo injected her with 17 bottles of filler in one visit, resulting in a large lump and hardened filler in the jaw and cheek. She said three days after the procedure, a large lump formed in her lip and some of the fillers hardened in her jaw/cheek bone area, NBC Miami indicated, based on the warrant. Authorities later found Araujo responsible for complications which led this patient, and others, to seek corrections from licensed plastic surgeons. Bail for Araujo has been set at $64,500 as of yesterday, with multiple felony charges placed upon him, including four counts each of practicing healthcare without a license, practicing medicine without a license, three counts of grand theft, and one count each of organized scheme to defraud, unlawful use of a communications device, and misrepresentation of a medical license.
