Background: News footage of Tonya Beauty in Orlando, Fla. (WESH). Inset: Gabriela Pereira (Orlando Police Department).
An unlicensed Florida woman working at a medical spa in Orlando faces 20 felony charges after a patient was left with burns and blisters on her chin.
Gabriela Pereira, 29, was apprehended on Friday due to a procedure she conducted on an unnamed patient in 2024 at the Tonya Beauty spa in Orlando. As per the arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Pereira initially attended to the patient on April 16, 2024, administering an Endolaser treatment to her chin. The patient left with “burns” that later blistered, resulting in necrotic tissue.
Following this initial visit, Pereira attempted to rectify the damage over seven more sessions. The affidavit noted that she offered these services for free, using the patient as a “model” to showcase Tonya Beauty’s results.
This patient wasn’t the first to express concerns about the legitimacy of personnel working at Tonya Beauty. The affidavit notes that in February 2023, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) in Orlando received a tip regarding someone performing Botox procedures without qualifications as a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, dentist, or medical doctor. The informant warned that the spa’s operations were “BEYOND illegal and full of scams,” posing a significant risk to public health and safety.
The affidavit indicates that an investigation revealed several expired licenses through the Florida Department of Health, including for the business owner, Tonya Silva Pereira, 43. Previously, Tonya Pereira had been issued a cease and desist order by the Florida Department of Health for practicing without a valid license.
An additional tip related to Gabriela Pereira’s patient was received by the MBI on June 11, 2024. A registered nurse at another spa reported via email that a client of Gabriela Pereira, who had sought Botox, also wanted her “double chin” treated. Allegedly, after leaving the Endolaser on the patient’s chin for excessive time, Pereira caused burns, prompting the patient to repeatedly return to Tonya Beauty.
Eventually, the woman began experiencing painful and upsetting side effects, including a large blister at the surgical site. The woman sent Gabriela Pereira pictures of what she was seeing and was told that it was “normal.” When the woman began experiencing a fever and “pus coming out of her right eye,” she called a health clinic for help. They told her that her symptoms were too serious and that she had to go to a hospital.
The woman, who did not have health insurance, went back to be treated by Gabriela Pereira instead. Despite several treatments by Gabriela Pereira, the woman’s symptoms persisted and became worse. She finally went to Orlando Health Hospital where she was diagnosed with “necrosis of the chin area.”
According to the affidavit, the woman continued to go back to Tonya Beauty for corrective treatment on her chin. She reportedly refused some treatments due to the pain they caused, but she was warned by Tonya beauty employees that her infection could be fatal if she stopped treating it.
Ultimately, the woman went to another medical spa and finally received treatment for her botched procedure. She still has scars from the original treatment.
Gabriela Pereira was charged with 20 felonies including several counts of practicing medicine without a license and unlicensed practice of a health care professional. According to local NBC affiliate WESH, she posted $29,750 bond and was released from custody.
