Quincy Med Spa Owner Pleads Guilty to Injecting Clients With Unapproved Botulinum Toxin

BOSTON — A Quincy, Massachusetts, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston on May 8 2026 to injecting clients of his business Rodrigo Beauty Inc. with unapproved botulinum toxin obtained from illegitimate sources outside the United States.

The owner administered the product to multiple clients, resulting in numerous severe cases of botulism, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The guilty plea covers charges of introducing misbranded and unapproved prescription drugs into interstate commerce.

The scope of the conduct involved repeated injections at the med spa over an extended period. The Department of Justice release states the injections produced botulism poisoning in a cluster of clients, though it does not specify exact patient counts or dollar amounts tied to the business.

The plea changes the defendant's legal status from charged to convicted. Sentencing now moves forward under federal guidelines for violations involving unapproved drugs and public health endangerment. No sentencing date was announced in the release.

Downstream, the conviction requires the court to calculate restitution to affected clients and potential forfeiture of assets linked to Rodrigo Beauty Inc. The Food and Drug Administration gains a finalized criminal precedent for pursuing similar cases involving imported cosmetic injectables.

Massachusetts licensing boards must review the business's operating permits in light of the federal findings, while the case supplies evidence for any parallel civil suits by botulism victims.

This marks the latest federal action against unlicensed or improperly supplied med spas. The Department of Justice has pursued similar prosecutions in multiple districts targeting operators who obtain prescription toxins from foreign online pharmacies that bypass the FDA's approval and tracking requirements for botulinum toxin products.