Fake Health-Care Practitioner Arrested, Accused of Horribly Burning Woman With Lasers

Here at New Times, we’ve faithfully covered Miami’s underground cosmetic surgery scene, where a discount silicon injection can easily lead to a gruesome death by injection for the would-be beautiful people.

Miami-Dade Police this afternoon say they uncovered a new wrinkle in the shady business when they arrested Larry DeJesus, who was posing as a licensed health-care practicioner.

Cops say the 48-year-old DeJesus, in fact, was a fraud who horribly burned at least one victim — with a laser!

According to police, the victim, 22-year-old Monica Jimenez, paid DeJesus last August to perform laser hair removal on her underarms. When she complained that the job was hurting quite a lot, DeJesus told her the discomfort “was normal,” says Det. Aida Fina-Milan, an MDPD spokeswoman.

Jimenez developed blisters, which DeJesus lanced, drained, and kept on laser-burning. Eventually, Jimenez asked DeJesus to stop and went home.

It wasn’t until she went to the hospital that Jimenez learned the faux laser technician had inflicted third-degree burns to her arms.

Jimenez complained to the Department of Health, which turned the investigation over to the police when it learned that DeJesus didn’t have a license.

Lesson of the day: Before you voluntarily let someone burn you with a laser, give them a good checking out.

This isn’t DeJesus’s first brush with the law, according to Riptide’s records search.

Back in 1996, he was charged with three felony counts of threatening a public servant; none of the counts was prosecuted. A misdemeanor count of resisting arrest without violence was also dropped.

Then, in 2003, he was hit again with the same charges: two felony counts of threatening a public official, plus two felony counts of obstructing justice. Those charges, again, were dismissed.

Now, DeJesus has been charged with unlicensed practice of health care with serious injuries.