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Silicone Killer: Roberts Gets 11+ Years in Death Case
ATLANTA, GA – Deanna Roberts has been sentenced to eleven years and three months in federal prison for a scheme that left one woman dead and others hospitalized. The Florida woman illegally injected victims with liquid silicone, obtaining the dangerous substance through fraudulent means and introducing it into interstate commerce. The grim case highlights the deadly risks of unregulated cosmetic procedures.
The victim, identified only as L.H., died approximately 36 hours after Roberts performed an injection. An autopsy revealed the silicone had migrated throughout her body, clogging her lungs, heart, brain, and other vital organs. Other patients, lured by Roberts’ promises and price tags ranging from $300 to $1000 per treatment, were hospitalized with respiratory distress as the silicone also invaded their lungs. Shockingly, Roberts continued her illegal practice even after learning of L.H.’s death and the hospitalization of other victims.
“The defendant was aware that silicone injections she was administering were causing serious harm, even requiring hospitalization, yet she continued to inject paying customers with it knowing the risks that were involved,” stated U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Even after Roberts knew that the victim in this case died from the injections she gave her, she did not stop. This case is a shocking reminder that citizens should seek care only from experienced and licensed health care professionals.”
According to court documents, Roberts began ordering liquid silicone in April 2004 from a business in Arizona. She falsely claimed in an affidavit that she didn’t intend to inject the silicone into humans, stating instead it was for lubricating medical equipment. Over eleven years, she amassed at least 178 gallons of the illegally sourced substance. The FDA has not approved liquid silicone for injections for tissue augmentation, and Special Agent in Charge Justin D. Green of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations’ Miami Field Office warned, “serious harm, including death, can occur following such injections. We will continue to aggressively pursue and bring to justice those who endanger the U.S. public health by offering this hazardous procedure.”
The autopsy of L.H. painted a horrific picture. Dr. Geoffrey Smith, Associate Medical Examiner for DeKalb County, found her lungs heavily congested with liquid silicone. The substance had spread to her liver, kidney, heart, brain, and spleen. Investigators discovered ten injection sites in each of L.H.’s buttocks, and microscopic analysis revealed a punctured blood vessel, confirming the silicone had entered her bloodstream and traveled throughout her body, ultimately causing fatal silicone polymer embolization.
Roberts falsely presented herself as a licensed medical practitioner and claimed the silicone she used was “medical grade.” This case serves as a stark warning: desperate attempts to alter one’s appearance with unregulated procedures can have devastating, and ultimately fatal, consequences. Deanna Roberts will now face the consequences of her actions behind bars, a small measure of justice for L.H. and the other victims she endangered.
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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