Medical Murders: Anthony Pignataro

After multiple failed attempts at residency, Anthony Pignataro resorted to fraudulent practices, operating with counterfeit licenses and offering bargain-deal cosmetic procedures. His infamous snap-on toupee implant, involving skull bolts, epitomized his reckless approach to medicine.

In 1997, Pignataro's malpractice led to the death of a young mother during a breast augmentation surgery, marking him as the first Western New York doctor convicted of homicide. His subsequent incarceration didn't deter his criminal tendencies. Upon release, he attempted to poison his wife, Debbie, with arsenic, resulting in another guilty plea and a substantially-lengthier prison term.

A single day after his release in 2013, he opened up a new LLC, “Tony Haute Cosmetique and Skin Care.” His website features a line of all-natural skin creams and photos of him in a white lab coat, claiming to be a renow[ed] scientist and physician who has retired from cosmetic surgery. Old habits die hard?

Listen to Part 1 here.

Listen to Part 2 here.