The owner of a South Shore med spa has admitted in federal court that she injected clients with counterfeit Botox and dermal fillers, according to federal prosecutors. Rebecca Fadanelli, who ran Skin Beaute Med Spa, pleaded guilty to an eight-count indictment accusing her of importing fake products and passing them off as the real thing. A U.S. district judge has set her sentencing for July 1, 2026.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Fadanelli admitted she brought counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvéderm into the country from China and Brazil, then performed thousands of injections using those products. Prosecutors say she pulled in more than $1 million in client payments. She 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.
Court paperwork fills in more of the numbers. The charging documents and indictment list about 1,631 Botox appointments totaling roughly $522,869 and around 1,085 filler appointments totaling about $410,545 between 2021 and 2024. Those filings, lodged in federal court in the District of Massachusetts, also allege Fadanelli falsely told clients and employees she was a nurse, when in fact she is an aesthetician.
Local coverage has dug into the money trail and the supply chain behind the operation, noting that investigators traced counterfeit shipments back to sellers overseas. As reported by the Boston Herald, prosecutors say the products came from vendors in China and Brazil before ending up in treatment rooms at Skin Beaute’s South Shore locations.
Legal penalties
Each importation count carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, while every counterfeit-drug or counterfeit-device count carries up to 10 years and a similar fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The actual sentence will be up to the judge, who will weigh the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and could also order supervised release and restitution to victims.
In other words, the maximum exposure on paper is steep, but the eventual punishment will hinge on factors like the scope of the conduct, the financial loss and the impact on patients.
If you received treatments
The Justice Department is urging anyone who thinks they received services involving counterfeit drugs or devices from Skin Beaute between 2021 and 2025 to complete the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations victim-witness questionnaire. The FDA’s victim assistance page includes that questionnaire, instructions on how to report adverse events and contact information for investigators.
Potential victims are being asked to detail what treatments they received, when they received them and any medical issues that followed, so investigators can better map out the full reach of the counterfeit products.
Why this matters
Health officials and local reporters have long warned that counterfeit injectables and unlicensed injectors are more than just a bad deal; they carry real medical risks, from infections to severe allergic reactions and other complications. Coverage and public-health reporting on similar cases in Massachusetts and across the country also highlight how tough it can be for regulators and investigators to untangle illicit supply chains and determine how many patients were actually exposed.
In a cosmetic market where touch-ups and fillers are pitched as routine self-care, this case is a reminder that what goes into the syringe, and who is holding it, matters a lot more than the spa playlist or the Instagram photos.
