Bronx woman arrested for illegal breast enlargements

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City woman was arrested on Friday on charges that she performed illegal breast and buttocks enhancement procedures in her home, sometimes charging more than $1,000 for injections of liquid silicone.

According to court documents filed in Manhattan Federal Court, Whalesca Castillo imported liquid silicone from her native Dominican Republic for her underground practice at her home in the Bronx.

According to the court filing, on at least one occasion, she warned a client who fainted after the injections not to seek medical attention, saying the hospital would not help her because the procedure was illegal.

Although silicone is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for cosmetic use, the injection of liquid silicone for cosmetic purposes is prohibited.

"Whalesca Castillo put the health of unsuspecting women at risk, all to make a quick buck," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

Castillo faces up to three years in prison.

(Reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr., editing by Greg McCune)