DORAL, Fla. – A Miami woman was arrested for running what investigators said was a cosmetic recovery center out of an Extended Stay hotel in Doral.
Miami-Dade police investigators said that Jocelyn Ramos-Rivera, 51, was charging “patients” between $850 to $1,300 for personal care during their recovery and was operating the business under the name Bella’s Rest and Relaxation, LLC. The company was listed with the Florida Division of Corporations with an Orlando address and was registered to Jocelyn Ramos Aviles.
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Miami-Dade police received a tip that people were receiving post-operative recovery services in multiple rooms at the Extended Stay America, 8655 NW 21st Terrace.
On Monday, June 2, members of the Medical Crimes Unit went to the location where they saw a gray Dodge Caravan arrive at the Extended Stay America-Miami Airport hotel. The female driver got out and assisted a woman who was in one of the rear seats of the van.
The MCU detective said that the passenger was laying face down wearing a red robe and black compression socks and that as she was helped by the driver into the hotel, she was, according to the police report, “walking cautiously and shuffling her feet which is indicative of post-operative cosmetic surgery behavior.”
Detectives followed the driver and the passenger into the hotel where both got off on the 4th floor. They discovered that there were three rooms in use that were providing care to patients with two rooms housing two patients and a third room housing one.
Detectives interviewed two women who said they were employed by Ramos-Rivera and that they provided personal care to the patients, which included bathing, dressing, eating, going to the bathroom, administering medication, and other personal hygiene assistance.
Patients, who were all in various stations of post-operative cosmetic surgery recovery, were interviewed by the detectives and said that they had been charged for the services to help with their recovery, some paying up to $1,300 for the services.
Ramos-Rivera, who was not at the hotel, was contacted by detectives and was asked to come to the location so that she could be interviewed. She never showed up, according to police.
On Thursday, June 9, MCU returned to the hotel where they found that two more rooms were being used, each housing two people receiving care. The patients in the rooms who were interviewed said they were charged between $850 to $1,250 for their care.
Ramos-Rivera was arrested at her home on Thursday and was charged with running an assisted living facility without a license. Nine patients had been at the hotel receiving services for a total of 42 nights, according to the police report. Ramos-Rivera was charged with 42 counts.
Her bond was initially set at $210,000 but her attorney told the judge that she was on her way to surrender the day she was arrested and should get a lesser bond. The attorney requested a $25,000 bond.
Bond was set at $42,000, $1,000 for each count.