Key facts
- Klara Shuster, owner of Klara Beauty Lab, pleaded guilty to smuggling and dispensing misbranded drugs.
- Shuster admitted to importing and administering bootleg Botox from Asia without a prescription or medical supervision.
- One client was hospitalized with botulism after receiving the bootleg product.
- Shuster faces up to 13 years in prison.
- Her sentencing is tentatively set for December 9.
Klara Shuster, the owner of Klara Beauty Lab, a medical spa located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges including conspiracy to commit smuggling and dispensing misbranded drugs. Shuster admitted to illegally importing and administering bootleg Botox, sourced from Asia, to clients without a prescription or medical supervision.
During a plea proceeding on August 3, Shuster stated, "I imported mislabeled Botox illegally to this country... And then I dispensed it to clients mislabeled, and I knew it was against the law." She further confirmed to US district court judge John Koeltl that she dispensed a prescription drug containing botulinum toxin that was not the genuine product, leading to one client being hospitalized with botulism.
Prosecutor Joseph Rosenberg explained in court that Shuster, an esthetician, was not legally permitted to administer actual Botox, as New York state law prohibits estheticians from prescribing or administering such prescription drugs. The client who received the bootleg product became "quite sick" before requiring hospitalization for the potentially fatal condition.
Shuster's attorney, Todd Spodek, stated that his client "has accepted responsibility for her actions" and that her "foremost concern is the health and wellbeing of her clients." Shuster faces a maximum of 13 years in prison, though federal defendants who plead guilty typically receive lesser sentences. Her sentencing is tentatively scheduled for December 9.