HOUSTON — A woman was arrested earlier this week after being accused of traveling across the country to provide illegal butt injections.
Consuelo Maria Dal Bo, 56, made her first court appearance Friday. She is facing a felony drug charge and a misdemeanor charge of practicing medicine without a license.
Consuelo Maria spoke with KHOU 11 while out on bond and said that her passion is helping people and boosting women's self-confidence.
"Believe me, everything I do, I do it with my heart, and everybody who knows me, they know me," Consuelo Maria said. "I do it because they really need it, and not just because they pay me."
Consuelo Maria went on to say that while she isn't a licensed doctor in the U.S., she did go to medical school in Mexico for three years.
Prosecutors said what Consuelo Maria does for a living makes her a danger to society. They said she and her daughter, Isabella Dal Bo, 18, were arrested during an undercover operation conducted by the Federal Drug Administration and the Houston Police Department.
"They apparently arranged to have a house available because she only does house calls,” said Harris County Assistant D.A. Sheila Hansel.
Investigators said the mom and daughter showed up at the house with illegal substances.
"Her suitcases were full of what she uses in these procedures and displayed them and was ready to use them on the undercover officer,” Hansel said.
Prosecutors said Consuelo Maria also offered the undercover officer Xanax to help them relax. She was then paid $6,000 in cash to do the procedure.
"This defendant has no license, no certificate, no permit to do any procedure even remotely close to injecting these unknown substances into people,” Hansel said.
Prosecutors said a larger investigation by the FDA was already underway. They were looking for folks who were bringing illegal substances into the U.S. when they learned Consuelo Maria was one of several people using the substances for cosmetic procedures in the Houston area and in other states. They said Consuelo Maria had just flown back from seeing a client in California when she was arrested.
Since then, prosecutors said four women from Harris County have come forward claiming they've received services from her.
"My biggest concern is for the people who don't do their research before hiring someone like her, or paying someone like her, to put a chemical that they don't know what is inside of them,” Hansel said.
Prosecutors said the FDA is now in the process of getting the substances tested.
"We'll figure out what it is, and if it was dangerous, but regardless of what it is, it's not approved for injection into anyone’s buttocks,” Hansel said.
Prosecutors said depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigation, Consuelo Maria's charges could be upgraded.