VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Court documents are shedding new light on details surrounding the arrest of the owner and an employee of the Virginia Surgical Center which specializes in hair replacement and restoration.
The owner and president of the Virginia Surgical Center, Linda Carnazza, along with another employee, Allya Godwin, are accused of performing invasive procedures without a license, according to Virginia Beach court records.
Carnazza and Godwin both face three felony charges.
According to police search warrants, these charges are related to hair transplant procedures, a topic News 3 highlighted with a story at the Virginia Surgical Center back in 2016.
The story featured Carnazza.
Recently, News 3 obtained a search warrant that outlines how police started their investigation back in March. It came after a complaint from a patient.
Police began doing surveillance on the business for months.
The names of three potential victims are listed in court records.
Police allege “from March 2023 through July 2023, there has been no medical oversight by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner on hair transplant surgical procedures” that occurred at the Virginia Beach office.
A representative from the Virginia Surgical Center sent News 3 the following statement:
“Our company is over 30 years old. We follow all regulations within our industry and are innocent and look forward to our day in court. Our providers are licensed MD, DOs, and independent nurse practitioners. Our hair restoration technicians have adequate training and experience and credentials/certifications needed. All employees practice within their scope. Since the incident occurred we have remained fully operational.“
News 3 also spoke with a man who didn't want his name used in the story. He claims to have long-lasting medical issues as a result of his procedure. He warns everyone to check the licenses of those performing procedures before getting them done.
In addition, News 3 spoke with a hair transplant surgeon Dr. Kevin Blumenthal, with Natural Transplants Hair Restoration in July. He's not connected with this case but said the procedures in question can be risky.
"This is an invasive procedure," Blumenthal said. "This is not injecting Botox or doing a laser. You're penetrating the skin. It's an extraction of hair from the back and transplanting the follicles to the front.
The Virginia Surgical Center has three locations throughout the state.
The search warrant states police believe there could be more victims.
Both women are expected back in court on Sept. 14.
