A Miami dermatology clinic worker accused of stealing botox-type drugs and performing unlicensed injections in private homes now faces charges of exploiting the elderly.
According to an arrest affidavit filed Wednesday in Miami-Dade, Eliany Collazo-Llosa stole 66 vials of Xeomin, a botox-type drug valued at $495 each, and an unknown number of Juvederm vials in May. Investigators said she also faces felony grand theft and practicing medicine without a license.
The owner of International Dermatology Research, 82-year-old Silvia Trinidad, told police she hired Collazo-Llosa to give clients facial treatments. Trinidad said video surveillance recorded patients treated by Collazo-Llosa leaving the clinic without making payments. She later found used syringes of both drugs in a private office space Collazo-Llosa used, the affidavit said.
Clients told police they paid discounted rates for home treatments
Clients claimed Collazo-Llosa took payments via Zelle and offered “a discounted rate if they met at their homes instead of the clinic,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators said her bank account showed $90,000 in Zelle deposits.
Trinidad provided detectives with a company-owned laptop Collazo-Llosa used for training. Investigators said they found a Google calendar with “numerous client appointments for botox and filler procedures” scheduled during her work hours.
Collazo-Llosa’s attorney Bijan Sebastian said his client worked for the dermatology center for less than a year and denied the allegations.
“Nobody saw her steal anything,” Sebastian told Judge Mindy Glazer during Collazo-Llosa’s bond court hearing.
Sebastian said Collazo-Llosa never stole or performed injections and only performed facial treatments for paying clients.
“She was doing certain types of procedures to clients but none of them involved any injections or any fillers or any botox,” he said. “Again, there is absolutely no proof, no evidence and no recordings about it.”
He added that Trinidad had issues with Collazo-Llosa’s job performance, which his client believes led to problems with her former boss.
Investigators said Collazo-Llosa exploited the elderly owner, who had increasingly given her control of daily operations.
