SANFORD, Fla. – A Sanford woman accused of injecting liquid silicone to people, causing one woman to die, pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Liquid silicone can cause serious harm or death and has not been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for body injections, U.S. Attorney John Horn said.
Deanna Roberts, 47, started ordering liquid from a business in Arizona in 2004. To complete her order, she submitted an affidavit to the company that falsely said she did not intend to inject silicone into humans, according to the news release.
Records showed Roberts ordered at least 178 gallons of liquid silicone between 2004 and 2015.
Robert injected at least four victims in the Atlanta area, claiming she was a licensed medical practicer, records showed.
One of those four people, Lateasha Hall,45, died on Nov. 18, 2015, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hall died 36 hours after being injected after the silicone migrated to her lungs, heart, brain and other organs, according to court records.
“Roberts admitted that she caused the death of one person by injecting her with liquid silicone, and that she also injected liquid silicone into multiple other people, putting their lives at considerable risk,” Horn said in a news release. “Before undergoing any type of medical procedure, patients should ensure they have consulted a licensed medical provider who is qualified to provide care.”
Roberts will be sentenced on May 24.