A man who passed himself off as a cosmetic surgeon has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Queens after an unlicensed butt-implant removal left a 31-year-old mother of two dead, according to prosecutors. The victim, María Paz Peñaloza Cabrera, was left with no brain activity following the March 28 procedure in Astoria and later died, authorities say.
Prosecutors say Felipe Hoyos-Foronda entered the guilty plea on Thursday and is expected to receive a five-to-fifteen-year prison sentence, New York Daily News reports. The plea was entered in Queens Supreme Court, where prosecutors described the deadly operation as both unlicensed and makeshift.
Prosecutors' account
According to prosecutors, Hoyos-Foronda carried out the procedure inside a makeshift office in his Astoria home and injected lidocaine and saline that caused toxicity and cardiac arrest. They say he then fled, driving to John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was arrested while waiting for a Starbucks order as he tried to board a flight. Investigators later found syringes, empty lidocaine bottles and other medical waste. The patient was removed from life support days later and never regained brain function, as detailed by Gothamist.
Legal consequences
The indictment initially included charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and unauthorized practice of a profession, and prosecutors have cast the manslaughter plea as the core resolution of the case. “My thoughts are with the victim’s family as we seek justice on her behalf,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement, according to reporting. The plea subjects Hoyos-Foronda to state sentencing guidelines that could keep him behind bars for multiple years, prosecutors say.
Family reaction and local warning
Relatives described Peñaloza Cabrera as a mother of two who sold tamales and empanadas in Flushing, and said they are grieving while seeking help to cover funeral and travel expenses. Her mother, Gladys Cabrera, told reporters the medicine he gave her “killed her” and that “she didn’t deserve this,” according to the New York Daily News.
What this means for patients
Prosecutors and public-health advocates say the case is a stark warning about the dangers of unlicensed cosmetic work and a reminder to verify both a provider’s credentials and a facility’s licensing before undergoing any procedure. Authorities are urging anyone who may have received treatments from the defendant, or who has information about his activities, to contact the Queens District Attorney’s office or Crime Stoppers so investigators can follow up.
