NYC Correction Captain Dies After Plastic Surgery From Fake Practitioner In Dominican Republic

Rikers Island, New York City -- A 49-year-old NYC Department of Correction Captain died after undergoing plastic surgery by a fake medical practitioner in the Dominican Republic, who was previously indicted for practicing without a license, reports said.

Tandra Bowser-Williams, corrections captain at Rikers Island traveled to Santo Domingo, a city in the Dominican Republic, last month to undergo a fat transfer surgery at Centro Internacional de Cirugia Plastica Avanzada run by the plastic surgeon, Dr. Hector Cabral.

Days after undergoing the surgery, the beloved officer and a mother died from a massive stroke, Bowser-Williams' grieving husband Curtis Williams told the news outlet Daily News.

After her surgery on May 13, Bowser-Williams was shifted to United Hearts Clinic, a facility about a mile away from the clinic where the work was done. Curtis got to know about the tragedy after a nurse at the United Hearts Clinic called him up. However, Bowser-Williams tragically passed away before Curtis could reach the Caribbean islands.

"They brought my wife out of the medically induced coma so she could unlock her phone, so that’s how she was able to get in touch with me," Curtis said, adding that he heard his wife complaining in the background about her stomach and her butt.

Cabral was indicted in 2011 for examining at least 10 women in health spas and beauty parlors in Washington Heights without a license. He was accused of luring these patients to the Dominican Republic where he performed surgeries on them leaving some of them disfigured, according to court records.

Cabral pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized practice of medicine and made a no-jail term deal as part of the plea agreement. He was ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 in addition to restitution of $23,055 and 250 hours of community service in the Dominican Republic.

Cabral later opened a clinic where Bowser-Williams recently underwent the surgery. The facility reportedly specialized in fat transfers and Brazilian Butt Lifts.

Curtis said although his wife knew about Cabral's past indictment, she was confident in his abilities. "Her exact words to me were, ‘you’re gonna love Dr. Cabral’s work.’ I didn’t care one way or another. I accepted my wife the way she was," he recollected, NY Post reported.

"Everybody is distraught. She was the heart, the lifeline of the family. The heartbeat," Curtis added.

Patrick Ferraiuolo, president of the Correction Captains union, shared their condolences at the loss of the veteran correction officer. "She was always a good captain, never tried to escape work, always worked in the jails, always worked with inmates," Ferraiuolo said.

Cabral’s clinic footed the bill for Curtis' travel to the Dominican Republic along with costs for embalming his wife's body. Meanwhile, Bowser-Williams’ death is not under investigation, according to reports.