In a crackdown on unlicensed cosmetic surgery recovery centers in South Florida, law enforcement recently apprehended a Cuban couple accused of illegally operating a post-surgery rehabilitation home in western Miami-Dade. Authorities announced the arrest of Marileydis Gómez, 49, and Lázaro González Bordao, 51, who managed the Diamond Post Care Recovery Home.
Alongside them, Yaiset del Pino Gómez, 30, was involved in managing the facility but remains at large, according to information from the police report cited by Local10 News. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office revealed that while Diamond Post Care Recovery Home was licensed as a business, it lacked the necessary authorization to function as an assisted living facility, as required by law. The property is situated at the intersection of Southwest 75th Avenue and Florida Boulevard, just outside Miami's city limits.
During a police raid on Wednesday, officers discovered four patients and a staff member responsible for their care. The employee reported being paid only $14 per hour in cash by Gómez for her services. Meanwhile, patients disclosed paying $300 per night for their recovery stay at the home.
Authorities also uncovered trash bins overflowing with illegally disposed of medical waste, including items contaminated with human fecal matter, blood, and urine. These findings, they argued, pose "a credible and serious biological hazard to public health and safety."
Gómez was taken into custody on charges of operating an unlicensed care center, littering, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, failure to track biomedical waste, and creating a public health nuisance. As for González, the charges against him have not yet been confirmed, nor was his photo available in police records, as reported by Local 10.
Neither officials nor the television station specified the nationality of those arrested, information later confirmed by CiberCuba. Florida authorities have intensified their oversight of cosmetic treatment clinics and recovery homes, particularly those operating illegally, as this constitutes a third-degree felony.
In a similar incident, Cuban Mónica García and her daughter were arrested in Miami for running an unlicensed post-surgery recovery center and mishandling medical waste at another Miami-Dade residence. García denied the allegations.
Earlier in March, Ahmonique Miller, a 28-year-old mother from Las Vegas, tragically died at a postoperative recovery home in Miami after undergoing a cosmetic procedure at Avana Plastic Surgery clinic.
Questions about Illegal Recovery Homes in Miami-Dade
What charges were brought against Marileydis Gómez?
Marileydis Gómez was charged with operating an unlicensed care center, littering, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, failing to track biomedical waste, and creating a public health nuisance.
How much did patients pay to stay at the Diamond Post Care Recovery Home?
Patients reportedly paid $300 per night to recover at the Diamond Post Care Recovery Home.
What was found during the police raid at the recovery home?
During the raid, officers found four patients, a staff member, and trash bins filled with illegally disposed medical waste, including items contaminated with human fecal matter, blood, and urine.