Police say patients suffered pain, scarring and other complications after receiving injections at a Liberty City body-sculpting business.
MIAMI, FL — A 33-year-old woman accused of posing as a medical professional and performing cosmetic injections without a license at a Liberty City spa has been arrested after several women reported serious injuries, according to Miami police and arrest records cited by local news reports.
Latonya Shanice Starks, who authorities said used the name “Dr. Lori,” operated Lori Dior Miami Med Spa at 5789 NW Seventh Ave., investigators said. Police allege Starks personally performed injections even though she was not licensed as a doctor or other health care provider. The investigation followed complaints received in May and June from women who said they developed painful complications after visiting the business. Starks faces three charges of practicing health care without a license causing serious injury and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
One woman told investigators she found the business through its Instagram account and went to the clinic for what she believed would be Sculptra treatment, according to an arrest report. Police said the treatment was represented to her as a fat-dissolving injection. Investigators said the woman later learned she had allegedly received a product known as Lemon Bottle instead. She suffered a serious medical reaction and required repeated hospital treatment over roughly three months, police said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has separately identified injectable products marketed under the Lemon Bottle name as unapproved drugs. In warning letters issued in March 2025 to companies selling such products, the FDA said injectable lipolytic products can pose serious health risks because they are introduced directly into the body and can bypass some of its natural defenses. The agency said products including LemonBottle Ampoule Solution lacked required FDA approval for marketing as drugs in the United States.
The woman in the Miami case later became pregnant and subsequently had a miscarriage, according to the arrest report. She told police she believed medications required to treat complications from the injections contributed to the pregnancy loss. Authorities have not announced an independent medical finding establishing that the injections, the treatment medications or another factor caused the miscarriage.
Police described similar complaints from two other women who received injections at the spa. One woman told investigators she paid $1,200 for a procedure intended to change the appearance of her hips and said Starks injected material into her buttocks and abdominal area. The woman said she never saw packaging that confirmed the substance was Sculptra. She also paid $650 for her sister, who was visiting South Florida, to receive injections, according to the arrest report.
Both women later reported lumps, irritation and continuing pain around the injection sites, police said. Investigators said they underwent multiple medical procedures to treat abscesses and repair scarring. One of the women also told authorities that repeated medical appointments caused her to miss enough work that she lost her job. Police have not publicly identified the women in the reports cited by local news organizations.
Investigators also examined social media associated with the spa. Police said posts promoted body-sculpting services and training while other material showed Starks saying she had stopped personally performing injections. Authorities said Starks later told detectives that a registered nurse named “Kate” had administered injections, but police said she could not provide the nurse’s full name, telephone number or professional credentials. No information released publicly has established that such a nurse performed the procedures described by the complainants.
Police said investigators determined that the business did not have the state licensing required for the medical procedures at issue. Authorities also said Starks had previously received a cease-and-desist order in Georgia connected with similar operations. Georgia corrections records cited by Local 10 show she had earlier felony convictions, including forgery and shoplifting offenses dating to 2010. Miami police said she was on probation when she was arrested.
Starks was taken into custody Sept. 2 after a traffic stop near her Aventura home, according to police. Investigators said a search of her vehicle uncovered medical and cosmetic supplies, including needles, bandages, a sharps container and packaging marked “Sculptra 150.” Police later searched her apartment under a warrant and reported finding additional medical and cosmetic equipment. The publicly available reporting did not establish whether the contents of any seized packaging were independently tested.
Local 10 reported after the arrest that Starks was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on bonds totaling more than $30,000. The available reports did not identify an attorney speaking on her behalf or provide a later court disposition. The criminal allegations remain pending, and the charges do not establish guilt.
Author note: Last updated September 4, 2026.