Queens man pleaded guilty after prosecutors said an illegal cosmetic operation inside his apartment turned deadly
QUEENS, N.Y. — A man accused of operating a makeshift surgical clinic out of his Astoria apartment admitted in court to causing the death of a 31-year-old mother who went into cardiac arrest during a cosmetic procedure and died days later, prosecutors announced.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Felipe Hoyos Foronda, 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of Maria Penaloza.
According to prosecutors, Penaloza arrived at Hoyos Foronda’s Astoria apartment on March 28, 2025, for the removal of buttock implants. A friend accompanied her and remained in the living room while the procedure was performed in another room of the apartment.
During the procedure, Hoyos Foronda administered lidocaine, a local anesthetic, along with saline through a syringe. Prosecutors said Penaloza became lightheaded and suffered cardiac arrest.
Emergency crews responded and found Penaloza unconscious in a medical chair. She was transported to a local hospital, where doctors determined she showed no signs of brain activity.
Penaloza remained hospitalized until April 11, when she was removed from life support and died.
An autopsy later determined that she died from lidocaine toxicity following the administration of the anesthetic during the cosmetic procedure.
Prosecutors said Hoyos Foronda was not licensed to practice medicine in the United States.
Following the incident, authorities said he traveled to John F. Kennedy International Airport and attempted to board a flight to Florida with an ultimate destination of Colombia. He was arrested at the airport by a Port Authority Police officer before leaving the country.
Investigators executing a court-authorized search warrant at the Astoria apartment recovered medical equipment and supplies, including an IV stand, syringes, injectable substances, a needle disposal container, and other items commonly associated with medical procedures.
District Attorney Katz said the defendant injected a deadly dose of anesthesia into the victim and then attempted to flee after the procedure.
Hoyos Foronda pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court. Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant ordered him to return to court on July 30 for sentencing and indicated she expects to impose a prison term of five to 15 years.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gregory Lasak of the Queens District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau.
Key Points
- An Astoria man pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the death of a 31-year-old woman.
- Prosecutors said the victim suffered cardiac arrest during a cosmetic procedure performed inside the defendant’s apartment.
- The defendant faces a prison sentence of five to 15 years at sentencing scheduled for July 30.
