A fake cosmetologist has been arrested for allegedly causing the death of a woman from Connecticut through unsafe butt injections. This incident involves a woman named Alicia Leslie, 47, from Mount Vernon, who reportedly performed these dubious silicone injections that led to the cardiac arrest of Maxine Messam, 53, from Bridgeport, in February 2022.
Investigators revealed that Leslie was charged with criminally negligent homicide after discovering text messages exchanged between her and Messam. They had apparently arranged to meet in Yonkers for these unlicensed procedures on February 15, 2022.
Following the botched injections, it’s alleged that Leslie and another woman dropped off Messam at Jacobi Medical Center. Messam was found unconscious, without pants, and with several injection marks on her body, according to law enforcement sources. They apparently left the scene in a van.
It’s notable that Leslie and her accomplice, who hasn’t faced charges, claimed they found Messam in Woodlawn Cemetery in a state of emergency, according to police reports at the time.
Last Friday, Leslie faced arraignment before Judge Pamela Goldsmith and was granted supervised release. Interestingly, her criminal history includes multiple petit larceny offenses dating back to the 1990s, with the most recent in 2000.
She is scheduled to return to court on November 4. It’s also concerning that over a dozen individuals have lost their lives in recent years due to illicit silicone injections, particularly butt injections. Federal agencies have noted an uptick in unlicensed practitioners operating in areas like New York, Florida, and California.
This isn’t the first case of its kind; a few years back, an unlicensed cosmetologist pled guilty to manslaughter after a similar incident involving a Queens mother. There are also reports of a Houston woman charged with manslaughter in connection with an unlicensed injection that led to a woman’s death in 2021.
Moreover, a California woman, known as “the butt lady,” was convicted last year for the murder of actress Cindyana Santangelo during a botched injection procedure. It’s a trend that raises alarming questions about safety and regulation in the cosmetic enhancement industry.
