The sentence was handed down to the proprietor of a medical spa in Waldo for illegally administering Botox using medications from China to the patients.
Richard B. Smith III, age 47, from Shawnee, was given a sentence of two years in prison without the possibility of parole by a federal judge. Furthermore, he must pay $18,296 in restitution to the victim.
He once ran Tap and Blade on Wornall Road and West 72nd Street.
According to the records filed with the court, Smith advertised injectable treatments at Tap and Blade, including Botox and Juvederm Ultra 3. Microblading, brow shading, and cool sculpting were a few of the other beauty treatments on offer at the spa.
The Food and Drug Administration of the United States initiated an investigation into Tap and Blade in December 2020 after receiving many complaints alleging that multiple customers of the spa sustained injuries as a result of receiving treatment there.
According to the records presented in court, law enforcement officers carried out a search order at Tap and Blade on April 7, 2021, where they discovered three syringes of Botox and cartons of Juvederm Ultra 3.
Smith admitted he had ordered the injections from a Chinese online pharmacy. According to the documents filed with the court, he stated that he did not have prescriptions for the medications.
In addition, the court documents demonstrate that Smith lied about his medical credentials and that he did not participate in any training sessions that taught him how to correctly administer the products. Before founding Tap and Blade, Smith gained experience injecting substances into honeydew fruit, artificial heads, and fake skins in preparation for the business.
According to Smith, he treated around fifty to sixty patients. At least ten of Smith’s patients who received Juvederm Ultra 3 wound up in the hospital after experiencing adverse side effects.
According to the investigators, at least one patient who had Smith perform a procedure on them ended up in the emergency room of a hospital after the treatment. One of them is said to have sustained scarring that will never go away.
In the event of unauthorized utilization, medical procedures such as Botox possess the potential to inflict severe repercussions on individuals’ well-being. Our utmost priority is to ensure that all safety, quality, and efficiency benchmarks are met with unwavering commitment.
Injections of Botox should only be administered by medical professionals with considerable training and expertise and only with genuine Botox. Dentox is a program designed to educate professionals on the proper techniques for administering Botox injections. Botox training courses are available both online at https://dentox.com/all-courses/botox-training/ and in-person at https://dentox.com/live-courses/.