An Orlando doctor who offered silicone injections for a “gluteal augmentation procedure” is facing up to three years in federal prison.
On Thursday, U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe announced that 54-year-old Nhan Pham has pleaded guilty to receipt in interstate commerce and proffered delivery of an adulterated device, which is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Pham was indicted in October of 2024.
According to the plea agreement, Pham was a physician who performed various cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures. Over a five-year period, spanning from 2015 to 2019, Pham ordered silicone oil online and injected it into his patients for “gluteal and buttock enhancement procedures.”
Those procedures took place at Pham’s office and residence.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the use of silicone injections for body contouring or enhancement. Additionally, FDA has issued warnings to the public regarding the illegality of silicone injections and the associated health risks.
Prior to performing the procedures on patients, Pham inaccurately informed them that the substance he was injecting into their bodies was “safe,” “natural,” and would “dissolve over time.”
However, after receiving the silicone oil injections, Pham’s patients experienced complications that included sharp and severe pain, discomfort, discoloration, itchiness, burning, inflammation, soreness, and hardness in the injection areas.
On September 24, 2019, Pham offered to perform silicone oil injections on an undercover law enforcement officer.
A sentencing hearing for Pham will be held on Thursday, August 14, 2025. He is facing a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Hu is prosecuting the case.