A South Florida woman is facing charges after authorities said she posed as a licensed nurse and advertised post-cosmetic surgery services on social media.
Manouchka Jean-Noel, 27, was arrested Wednesday on charges including unlawful practice of nursing, organized scheme to defraud, practicing health care without a license, practicing massage without a license and using a nursing title without a license, an arrest report said.
According to the report, Jean-Noel had advertised on Instagram that she is a nurse and massage therapist offering post-operative care including “drain removal” following cosmetic surgery.
But a records check with the Florida Department of Health showed she wasn’t licensed to practice any health care, the report said.
“The defendant has multiple videos on Instagram showing her performing the above-mentioned unlicensed activity,” the report said. “In one video, the defendant is seen giving a patient a lymphatic massage while blood and other fluids are squirting out of an open wound.”
Investigators spoke with one victim who said she paid Jean-Noel $550 to care for her after cosmetic surgery, believing her to be a licensed nurse and massage therapist, the report said.
The surgery was rescheduled and the victim said she never received services but Jean-Noel refused to give her a refund, the report said.
An undercover investigator later arranged to meet with Jean-Noel to discuss receiving post-surgery services, and she told the investigator she’s a licensed nurse and licensed massage therapist and has been performing services since 2018, the report said.
When the investigator gave Jean-Noel a $1,500 deposit, she was taken into custody and booked into jail.