Legal proceedings against surgeon José del Carmen Desena Mon

Plastic surgeon José del Carmen Desena Montero was arrested in Santo Domingo by the Unit for the Capture of Fugitives, Rebels, and Convicts (Ucaprec) following a conviction for involuntary manslaughter. His arrest occurred after a court revoked a conditional suspension of his one-year prison sentence due to his failure to comply with specific requirements, such as maintaining a declared residence and attending court-coordinated lectures.

In early October 2026, Desena Montero was released after the Third Chamber of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeals of the National District annulled the arrest order. While he regained his freedom, Judge Octavia Carolina Fernández Cury reformulated his penal sanction, setting a new period for fulfilling the conditions of his suspended sentence to run from September 18, 2026, until September 18, 2027.

Records indicate that Desena Montero was originally convicted in 2025 following the death of a patient during an aesthetic procedure. Additionally, reports noted that in early 2026, another patient, 27-year-old Anyeli Meliza Sánchez Castillo, died following multiple aesthetic procedures performed by the surgeon.