He's Accused of Leaving Woman Brain Dead in Sham Implant Procedure — Here's What Prosecutors Say He Told Cops

A man is accused of leaving a woman brain dead after illegally performing a plastic surgery procedure on her in his New York City home has been indicted on manslaughter charges.

On Monday, April 28, Felipe Hoyos Foronda, 38, entered a not guilty plea in Queens Supreme Court after being indicted on charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, and one count of unauthorized practice of a profession, according to online court records. A judge also ordered him held without bail.

The victim, 31-year-old Maria Penaloza, went into cardiac arrest following the “botched” March 28 procedure in which prosecutors allege Hoyos Foronda administered lidocaine (a local anesthetic) and saline injections without a U.S. medical license, according to a press release from the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Penaloza, a mother of two, arrived at Hoyos Foronda’s apartment in Astoria that afternoon with a friend to have her silicone butt implants removed. After the procedure, Penaloza became lightheaded, allegedly leading Hoyos Foronda to administer an IV and call 911 when her condition did not improve, per the release. 

“When the ambulance crew arrived, Penaloza was unconscious on a medical chair,” the release states. “She was taken to Mount Sinai Queens where she showed no sign of brain activity. She was removed from life support on April 11.”

Hoyos Foronda was arrested on March 28 by a Port Authority police officer inside JFK airport after he went through security. Prosecutors said he tried to board a flight to Florida with a final destination of Colombia.

Authorities tracked his car through the city’s license plate reader system after Hoyos Foronda’s landlord provided detectives with his information and picture, the NYPD previously said.

According to ABC7 and NBC New York, prosecutors said that Hoyos Foronda allegedly told police he fled the scene because he was scared and that he had done the procedure in his apartment several times before. Prosecutors further alleged that Hoyos Foronda advertised his illegal medical services on social media.

After court this week, Penaloza’s niece, Valentina Benalova, told NBC about how her family has been handling the loss.

“It’s been bad, like really, really bad,” Benalova said, per the outlet.

Penaloza’s family has created a GoFundMe campaign to help offset costs for her loved ones to travel from Colombia to the U.S. and say their goodbyes.

According to online court records, Hoyos Foronda is next scheduled to appear in court on June 3.

The district attorney’s office is asking anyone who may have used Hoyos Foronda’s services or visited the makeshift medical office to contact NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).