A Chesapeake woman who ran esthetic spas in two states has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after admitting she spent years falsely claiming to be a master esthetician qualified to perform laser hair and tattoo removal, treatments that left several of her clients with burns and scarring. Hayley Nicole Atwood, 33, now faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced in the spring.
According to WAVY.com, Atwood was actually licensed only as a basic esthetician by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, a credential well short of what she represented to clients and colleagues. As 13News Now reports, she misrepresented her credentials in order to provide laser hair and tattoo removal services at spas she owned and operated in Chesapeake, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
A False Claim Dating Back to 2017
Court documents cited in the case show that beginning in at least 2017, Atwood consistently and falsely purported to be a master esthetician to colleagues and potential customers, the station's report notes. Atwood also provided laser services at the spas she operated.
The scheme escalated in 2021, when Atwood purchased two Spectrum Laser devices for her spas in March and April of that year, per the same account. She had also brought on medical directors during this period — one from December 2019 through July 2021, and a second from July 2021 through November 2022 — but neither authorized the work at the heart of the case.
Neither Medical Director Signed Off on Tattoo Removal
The second medical director did supervise laser hair removal at Atwood's spas, but neither director ever supervised or authorized Atwood or anyone at her business to perform laser tattoo removal, the outlet's report states. Several of Atwood's clients suffered injury as a result of her laser treatments, including burning and scarring, according to the same reporting.
Virginia law sets requirements for who may perform laser hair removal. Under Virginia Code § 54.1-2973.1, laser hair removal must be performed by a properly trained person licensed to practice medicine, osteopathic medicine, or as a physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse — or by a properly trained person working under the direction and supervision of such an authorized licensed medical professional. Separately, Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC85-20-91 requires that when a doctor delegates laser hair removal to someone who is not a licensed physician assistant or nurse practitioner, the doctor must ensure that person has completed the training required by the regulation.
Sentencing Set for March
Atwood is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2027, and faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conviction. The case underscores the risks clients face when seeking cosmetic laser procedures from providers whose credentials go unverified.
