Virginia Beach, VA—Recent court documents have unveiled intriguing details surrounding the arrest of the owner and an employee of the Virginia Surgical Center, a facility specializing in hair replacement and restoration procedures. The accused parties, Linda Carnazza, the center’s owner and president, and Allya Godwin, an employee, are facing accusations of performing invasive medical procedures without a valid license, according to records from the Virginia Beach court.
Both Carnazza and Godwin have been slapped with three felony charges, drawing attention to their practices and raising questions about the legality of their operations. These allegations pertain specifically to hair transplant procedures, a subject that was previously highlighted by a News 3 report on the Virginia Surgical Center in 2016, a feature that included Carnazza herself.
The origin of the investigation can be traced back to March of the current year, as revealed by a recently obtained search warrant. The investigation was initiated following a formal complaint from a patient, prompting law enforcement to carry out extensive surveillance on the surgical center over several months.
The court records identify three potential victims, indicating the gravity of the alleged violations. The police assert that from March to July 2023, hair transplant surgeries conducted at the Virginia Beach office reportedly lacked proper medical oversight from licensed medical doctors or nurse practitioners.
In response to these allegations, a representative of the Virginia Surgical Center issued a statement asserting their commitment to compliance and innocence. The statement reads, “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.”
Adding another layer to the narrative, a patient, who chose to remain anonymous, reported experiencing lasting medical complications stemming from a procedure performed at the Virginia Surgical Center. This individual underscored the importance of verifying the licenses of practitioners before undergoing any medical procedures.
In an attempt to gain perspective from a medical expert, News 3 reached out to Dr. Kevin Blumenthal, a hair transplant surgeon at Natural Transplants Hair Restoration. Although unrelated to this specific case, Dr. Blumenthal offered insights into the nature of the procedures in question, emphasizing their inherent risks. “This is an invasive procedure,” he stated. “You’re penetrating the skin. It’s an extraction of hair from the back and transplanting the follicles to the front. It’s not injecting Botox or doing a laser.”
The Virginia Surgical Center, which operates across three locations within the state, finds itself under scrutiny, with police expressing concerns that there may be additional victims. Both Carnazza and Godwin are scheduled to appear in court once again on September 14th.
