A man pleaded guilty Thursday to receiving and selling industrial grade silicone but telling customers that it was medical grade silicone.
The man, Vinnie Lysander Taylor, 44, administered silicone injections into customers in hotel rooms in Prince George’s County, St. Louis, Arlington, Virginia and elsewhere, the United States Attorney’s Office said.
Taylor admitted that from 2008 to December 2014, he administered silicone injections into the buttocks of customers who wanted larger or fuller buttocks.
The SAO office said he injected silicone into more than 10 individuals between 2012 to 2014 in Maryland.
On March 20, 2014, Taylor injected silicone into the buttocks of a victim, according to the SAO. When she left the hotel, she began having breathing difficulties and checked herself into the hospital May 22 and died two days later.
An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was acute and chronic respiratory failure due to a foreign substance causing a pulmonary embolization and was ruled a homicide, the SAO said.
Taylor has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal information that will be filed in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court, admitting that his conduct resulted in the March 2014 death. In exchange, the State’s Attorney’s Office dismissed pending first-degree murder charges against Taylor.
If the court accepts the plea agreement, Taylor will be sentenced to between 12 and 15 years in prison.
Taylor is not a medical practitioner and falsely told customers and victims that the liquid silicone he injected was medical grade. Taylor charged between $800-$1,000 for initial injections and between $350-$800 for subsequent injections.
The SAO estimates that the 152 gallons of silicone that Taylor purchased equated to 3,196 sessions—at $500 as a “mid-range” price proceeds from the illegal injections likely total at least $1.5 million.
Taylor used polydimethylsiloxane, the SAO said, a common silicone produce that’s used in commercial applications like lubricating oils, sealants and shampoos.
Taylor has a sentencing scheduled for August 19, at 9:30 a.m. He remains detained.
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