PORT ST. LUCIE − Two people who worked at Cosmetica Plastic Surgery and Anti-Aging were arrested on racketeering charges after police and state officials reported uncovering a host of issues at the facility, including surgical procedures performed by a physician assistant as opposed to a licensed surgeon, records show.
The arrests came after a number of patients at the business in the 1900 block of Southeast Port St. Lucie Boulevard just west of U.S. 1 reported going to other doctors after experiencing severe health-related issues after procedures there.
Arrested June 13 in the case were Fermal Lee Simpson, 74, and Dianne Linda Millan, 52, both of Port St. Lucie. Simpson in a deposition told officials he provided anesthesia at the business “during procedures in which no physician was present,” records state.
Millan appeared to be a surgical staff member or technician.
Sgt. Dominick Mesiti, police spokesperson, said Monday that police are seeking other suspects in the case.
Patients reported getting procedures including “liposuction 360,” “Brazilian butt lift with fat transfer,” “tummy tuck,” and “breast augmentation.”
According to court records, the state Department of Health on May 30, 2023, issued a final order revoking the business’s registration to operate. That came after an emergency suspension order in June 2022.
Court records show the state Department of Health reported Cosmetica Plastic Surgery and Anti-Aging “violated various statutes and rules resulting in the office surgery registration for the enterprise to be immediately suspended.”
The state Department of Health began investigating following a March 2022 anonymous complaint, while Port St. Lucie Police started investigating later.
Police in August 2022 spoke to a doctor who said he’d been a board-certified plastic surgeon in Florida since 1990 and had his own practice.
That doctor said he was the supervising physician for the first few years, but in late 2021 to early 2022 he noticed some changes. Surgical procedures were supposed to be referred to the doctor, but the number of referrals dropped.
Records show the doctor found evidence suggesting procedures were being done improperly.
“…we have seen many patients in Instagram with surgeries you should NOT be doing,” the doctor is quoted as writing in an email to a physician assistant. “These are not approved by me. I have to feel comfortable with you doing these surgeries. I also know that you are working with an un-licensed doctor. These surgeries are risking my license.”
The doctor notified the state Department of Health, records show.
Police noted the state Department of Health reported inconsistencies and errors in records were “indicative of either gross negligence or intentional concealment.”
A doctor who treated one of the patients who had issues after going to see Cosmetica Plastic Surgery and Anti-Aging reported “the first time he saw her, he almost passed out due to the severity of her condition due to the liposuction,” records state.
That doctor remarked “by saying ‘the most dangerous individual in the world is an unethical one.’ Referring to patients, he said ‘they trust you with their lives and you can talk them into any procedure because they trust you.’ He felt this was the situation with (redacted) and the enterprise,” records show.
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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St. Lucie plastic surgery employees jailed in racketeering case
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