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Another Botox Bandit? St. Petersburg police arrrest woman in two Botox thefts

 
Nicole Leigh Brown, 31, was arrested after St. Petersburg police said she had Botox and Juvederm treatments at two separate doctor's offices and left without paying for the services. [Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg Police]
Nicole Leigh Brown, 31, was arrested after St. Petersburg police said she had Botox and Juvederm treatments at two separate doctor's offices and left without paying for the services. [Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg Police]
Published Jan. 21, 2016

ST. PETERSBURG— Sixty-nine units of injected Botox, $1,800 in medical bills and a few months later, a 31-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday night accused of skipping out on the doctors' fees.

Nicole Leigh Brown was arrested after St. Petersburg police said she had Botox and Juvederm treatments at two separate doctor's offices and left without paying for the services.

Brown had 37 units of Botox injected on January. 7 — services that cost about $870 — at a doctor's office at 2299 9th Ave. N. At the end, she said she had to go to her car to get her credit card.

She never came back.

While investigating that case, St. Petersburg police discovered Brown was a suspect in a similar case from September 9, when she left an office after paying with a worthless check for 32 units of Botox.

Brown, of 5000 11th Ave N, is facing charges of grand theft. She was released from jail early Thursday morning.

Brown's story echoes one authorities have heard before.

In 2009, Jaimie Merk entered Skin NV, a med spa in Tampa. She received a chemical peel, laser treatment, purchased a skin care brush, prescription-grade Vitamin A and protein rich recover cream.

All in all, her grand total was $851.68. She wrote a check, signed her name and walked out of the store.

Five days later, the check bounced. And bounced again on repeat tries.

Staff at Skin NV didn't know at the time, but they'd had a run in with the woman authorities called the "Botox Bandit."

In August 2007, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office asked the public for help catching the Botox Bandit.

A tip led deputies to Merk, Hillsborough County Sheriff's officials said at the time.

It was just one of several cases that landed her on probation for several convictions of grand theft and worthless checks in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, according to the state Department of Corrections.