Hell's Kitchen aesthetician accused of injecting counterfeit Botox into patients

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Wednesday, January 22, 2025
NYC aesthetician accused of injecting counterfeit Botox into patients
Janice Yu reports from Hell's Kitchen with more on the accusations against a New York City aesthetician.

HELL'S KITCHEN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A New York aesthetician was arrested Wednesday for buying counterfeit Botox from China and injecting it, without the required license, into his clients in Hell's Kitchen.

Joey Grant Luther, 54, is charged with wire fraud, smuggling and other crimes related to the purchase and import of counterfeit Botox at his medical spa JGL Aesthetics.

None of the Botox was approved by the FDA, prosecutors said.

Officials say he continued to book appointments even after learning clients developed alarming health side effects.

"As alleged, Joey Grant Luther, who does not possess the licensing required by New York State to perform injections of Botox, knowingly purchased counterfeit Botox from China, injected it into his clients, and represented that the counterfeit Botox that he was peddling was genuine. Luther continued to purchase and inject the counterfeit Botox even after he learned that clients had fallen ill or experienced strange symptoms after Luther injected them," said U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon. "Luther's disregard for the health of his clients put all of his victims in harm's way and, in some cases, caused life-threating injuries."

The investigation began after Luther, according to the criminal complaint, injected counterfeit Botox into a patient, known as Victim-1, who began experiencing double vision, heart palpitations and other problems before being diagnosed with Botulism toxin.

At least four other people reached out shortly after with concerns after receiving Botox injections.

One victim said they were nervous about their vision and had no depth perception, another said they were having a hard time swallowing and had headaches and couldn't lift their head.

Another victim said they had a lazy eye and one victim said they had a brain MRI and had to go to the ER.

During each of these conversations, Luther reassured them and even said the Botox he used was not counterfeit, officials said.

Customs and Border Protection intercepted parcels destined for JGL Aesthetics, finding one that allegedly contained significant quantities of counterfeit drugs, including fake Botox.

The complaint notes that the fake Botox that was being used came in 150 doses, which is a big giveaway, because legitimate Botox is not sold in that quantity.

(ABC News contributed to this report.)

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