Fake Queens doctor accused of botched cosmetic surgery death appears in court

Fake doctor accused of botched surgery death

A Queens man accused of posing as a doctor and performing a deadly cosmetic surgery has been arraigned on manslaughter charges. Felipe Hoyos-Foronda allegedly injected 31-year-old Maria Peñaloza with lidocaine at his home in Astoria, leading to her death. FOX 5 NY’s Michelle Ross reports

NEW YORK - A man accused of posing as a doctor and giving a woman a botched cosmetic procedure that left her dead faced a judge Monday, as the victim’s grieving family spoke out.

What we know:

Authorities say Maria Peñaloza, 31, died after undergoing a cosmetic procedure inside the Astoria apartment of Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, who prosecutors say falsely presented himself as a doctor on TikTok.

Peñaloza, a mother of two young children, sought the procedure, where Hoyos-Foronda injected her with lidocaine, to remove butt implants, after experiencing pain. During the surgery, she went into cardiac arrest and was declared brain-dead.

Prosecutors say Hoyos-Foronda was arrested at JFK Airport, attempting to flee to Colombia. 

Hoyos-Foronda was arraigned Monday on a manslaughter charge at Queens Criminal Court.

What they're saying:

Peñaloza’s family traveled from Colombia to be in court and demand justice for their daughter. 

"I never thought she was going to die like that. She told me, ‘Mommy, you're going to live with me and the kids,’" said her mother, Gladys Cabrera Medina.

"To me, he’s an assassin. He’s a menace to society because he was ready to flee at the airport," Cabrera Medina added.

"You’re always gonna have that hate toward someone who did something so painful to one of your daughters," said Peñaloza's father, Jaime Peñaloza.