Unlicensed Woodbury beauty spa owner charged with unlawful medical practice

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Woodbury beauty spa owner is facing criminal charges for allegedly injecting medication even more powerful than Botox or dermal fillers without a license.

Krista Mackondy got hired at a med spa in February 2020, claiming she had a nursing degree and was a registered nurse, according to a statement of probable cause from Woodbury police. She even displayed nursing certificates in her office.

But it was all fake, and she got caught allegedly administering the powerful corticosteroid, Prednisone. The medication was given to clients from "unmarked containers," and the medical director told officers he had not given anyone permission to administer the medication at the spa, charges say. 

Botox injections, dermal injections, platelet-rich plasma injections. The beauty industry relies heavily on the use of needles. But observers say it also features limited oversight.

"Legal regulation of med spas in Minnesota is kind of a gray area," said attorney V. John Ella of Trepanier MacGillis Battina.

Mackondy is now a co-owner of Woodbury Med Spa and offers a wide array of beauty and non-surgical cosmetics treatments. Clients can book appointments for Botox, fillers, tattoo removal, and a lot more. She even posted a video on Instagram where she appears to administer Botox.

However, most of those services require a nursing license in Minnesota.

We searched the Minnesota Board of Nursing’s records and found Mackondy doesn’t have a nursing license. We also searched the Board of Cosmetology and found no record of her being licensed as an esthetician or anything else in the last seven years.

But Woodbury police say she told bosses at her last job that she was a registered nurse and a licensed injectionist. And clients said she was injecting them with Prednisone, which in beauty circles is sometimes used to help remove scars, but even nurses are not allowed to inject in that setting.

"This level of unauthorized practice of medicine that rises to the criminal level is rare," Ella said. "I mean, it takes a lot of gumption for someone to just pretend to be a doctor or a nurse. That’s rare."

Ella is also a former Board of Medical Practice board member and says the alleged Prednisone injections could’ve put the public at serious risk.

Police say Mackondy admitted to the injections and to not having a nursing license, charges say. Prosecutors charged her with misdemeanor unlawful practice of medicine.

As the court process plays out, she continues to offer her injection services, according to the spa's website. 

"Ms. Mackondy adamantly denies the allegations levied against her and looks forward to clearing her name through the judicial process," said her defense attorney Mike Brandt.

Mackondy is scheduled to make her first court appearance on March 13. She faces up to a year in jail and a fine of $3,000 if she’s convicted.

Ella says there could also be civil liability for her and her former bosses.