New London woman charged with performing illegal cosmetic medical procedures at home

New London — Police have arrested a New London woman on charges she was illegally performing cosmetic medical procedures that included lipolysis, a fat reducing procedure, in a back room of her Lincoln Avenue apartment.

Sofia Rodriguez-Lopez, 45, of 107 Lincoln Ave., Apt. 1, was charged Thursday with first-degree reckless endangerment and practicing medicine without a license, which is a felony.

A woman who claimed to be Rodriguez-Lopez’s ex-wife came to police in July to provide details about the kinds of procedures Rodriguez-Lopez was allegedly performing. Police said the woman provided videos showing Rodriguez-Lopez “sticking needles and syringes into clients, in various places, such as; the neck, [genital] area and rib cage,” states the affidavit for her arrest warrant.

The woman claimed one of the procedures Rodriguez-Lopez had performed in the past was lipolysis, “a procedure that targets fat cells with energy sources such as laser or freezing, or utilizes an injection designed to dissolve fat cells,” police said. Fat-dissolving injections that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pose safety risks.

In one video provided to police, police said they could see Rodriguez-Lopez “stick a metal rod into an unknown female’s upper groin region just below the belt line. The metal rod was inserted approximately three inches inside the female. This (police officer) observed blood and other bodily fluids coming out of the hole the metal rod created.”

Another video shows a syringe being inserted into the neck of a woman, police said.

The witness who spoke to police said the videos were to be used for advertising the business. She had come to police after her relationship with Rodriguez-Lopez dissolved because she was concerned about someone getting injured, police said.

New London police joined with officials from the state Department of Public Health on Sept. 4 to search Rodriguez-Lopez’s home. Police found an array of medical equipment and machines – a toe fungus remover, a lipo-laser that utilizes nano technology, an ultraviolet sterilizer, a miniature high-temperature sterilizer, a vacuum therapy machine, a massager, centrifuge, a carbon dioxide canister and a suction machine. There were also needles, metal suctioning rods, surgical blades, syringes with various liquids and intravenous line kits, police said. Police seized antibiotics, bottles of anesthesia and items marked “Youth Activated Instant Filler,” “Lift Buttocks Up” and Hydra Filler, some which police said typically would require a medical prescription but none that were identified as controlled substances.

Police confirmed with the state Department of Public Health that Rodriguez-Lopez was not licensed to perform any medical procedures and did not have a license to use the home for any type of business.

Questioned about her medical background, Rodriguez-Lopez told police she was born in Ecuador and was college-educated there. She said she moved to Spain at the age of 18 to attend the University of Barcelona where she studied cosmetology and cosmetics and was validated as a “medic cosmetologist.” She moved to the U.S in 2021, she told police, and began performing procedures in her home.

Rodriguez-Lopez admitted she was performing massages and facials but said she only once performed the lipolysis procedure on a friend.

Rodriguez-Lopez said she does not “cut into people” or take blood from clients and was currently seeing only two clients.

Rodriguez-Lopez claimed she buys medical equipment online and from a friend with a source in Columbia and anesthesia bottles for $40 each from a friend who works at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, the warrant states.

Rodriguez-Lopez told police that she charges between $400 and $500 for women that come to her with inflammation from surgeries done in countries like Colombia or the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez-Lopez told police that she knew she was not licensed in the U.S. and about two years ago realized what she was doing was illegal but continued doing massages and “other procedures until she was caught on the day of the search warrant execution.”

Rodriguez-Lopez, who was arraigned Friday is free on a promise to appear in New London Superior Court on Feb. 6. A lawyer for the New London-based Ruane Attorneys law firm, which represents Rodriguez-Lopez, declined to comment. A spokesperson for the hospital declined to comment.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health said residents who have questions or concerns regarding the license of any practitioner are encouraged to visit www.elicense.ct.gov.

g.smith@theday.com

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.yahoo.com/news/london-woman-charged-performing-illegal-013100638.html