Man charged over injecting fake Botox, causing adverse reactions in clients: Prosecutors

A New York aesthetician was arrested Wednesday and charged after being accused of illegally injecting clients with counterfeit Botox imported from China and other countries in Asia, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York announced.

Joey Grant Luther, 54, has an aesthetician license and displayed his certifications in his office, but according to a news release and a criminal complaint prosecutors posted online, he was not licensed to administer Botox. 

He allegedly conducted illegal injections at his medical spa located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in Manhattan.

“New York State requires a medical license in order to perform injections of Botox,” a special agent from the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations said in a criminal complaint. “Luther does not have the required medical license in New York State to prescribe drugs. The New York State Education Department confirmed that Luther has not received a license to practice nursing, medicine, or as a physician assistant.”

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Man faces multiple charges over fake Botox injections

Luther’s charges and their maximum sentences are:

• 1 count of wire fraud – 20 years in prison
• 1 count of smuggling – 20 years in prison
• 1 count of holding counterfeit drugs for sale and for dispensing – 10 years in prison
• 1 count of receiving misbranded drugs in interstate commerce and delivery or proffered delivery thereof – 3 years in prison
• 1 count of dispensing of a misbranded drug while held for sale – 1 year in prison

A lawyer representing Luther did not immediately respond to Paste BN’s requests for comment Thursday.

Clients reported bad side effects after fake Botox injections

Luther ran his own medical spa called JGL Aesthetics from January 2021 to July 2024, according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities believe he began injecting clients with fake Botox around April 2023 and continued to do so until July 2024, the complaint read. 

According to the criminal complaint, Luther's company, JGL Aesthetics, had a website but it did not advertise all of the services he offered. 

Instead, services were noted on iPads clients could look at. His employees also texted the services offered to clients and some services were advertised on social media, the complaint read.

According to a screenshot of the menu in the criminal complaint, Luther offered services such as Botox for the face and armpits, fillers, laser services, body sculpting and laser hair removal.

According to the complaint, between March 2024 and April 2024, several clients reported the following side effects:

• Lazy eyes
• Double vision
• Drooping eyelids
• Headaches
• Difficulty swallowing

Luther was aware that the injections caused negative side effects, according to the criminal complaint, and some clients had to undergo MRIs. 

At least one client was diagnosed with Botulism, a “rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves” that causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and sometimes death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When clients told Luther what happened, he told them their symptoms would pass and said the Botox was legitimate. 

Man told supplier of fake Botox to 'fix this'

Luther messaged his supplier in April 2024 and said his clients were suffering negative side effects. He said he would continue to order from them but the supplier had to “fix this.”

He also wrote ““[y]ou sold me bad botox and my clients were in the hospital. I had to pay their bills and try to save my reputation . . . . Do you know how much money I lost? You can send me 41 bottles and I will place another order. But I will never place another order with you until I receive those 41 bottles,” per the complaint.

Prosecutors said in the news release that none of the counterfeit Botox he injected had been approved for sale or dispensing in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Luther’s disregard for the health of his clients put all of his victims in harm’s way and, in some cases, caused life-threatening injuries,” U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said in the news release.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.