Cosmetic treatment center owner accused of posing as doctor faces new federal charge

Coverage of the General Session of the 59th Legislature, Jan. 24-March 10.

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Cosmetic treatment center owner accused of posing as doctor faces new federal charges

Coverage of the General Session of the 59th Legislature, Jan. 24-March 10.

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Kilpatrick's cousin faces felony charges over Manoogian Mansion fund

Last Updated: April 28. 2011 5:02PM

Detroit— Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's cousin allegedly spent restricted foundation money on furniture, cosmetic injections, personal fitness training, relatives' debts, veterinary services and her own wedding, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said today.

Nneka Cheeks, 40, of Livonia, is to be arraigned Friday in the city's 36th District Court on racketeering charges for allegedly raiding almost $20,000 from the Manoogian Mansion Restoration Society's bank account between 2007 and 2009, Schuette announced at an afternoon press conference.

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"Ms. Cheeks abused her position of trust by converting these funds for her own personal use," Schuette said. "The criminal acts of Ms. Cheeks were not an isolated event, but rather a series of events."

Schuette added that Cheeks apparently acted alone, keeping others involved with the society, "out of the loop."

"Nonprofit organizations are not to be used as a piggy bank for personal gains," Schuette said.

FBI Special Agent Rob Howard said the investigation of Cheeks was an "off-shoot" of the agency's other probes of alleged corruption during Kilpatrick's administration of City Hall. Kilpatrick, already jailed for failing to pay restitution associated with obstruction of justice and assault charges related to the text message scandal, also has been charged with federal racketeering and tax violations.

Howard said the agency received a tip about Cheeks' activities, "and we followed the money."

Cheeks previously faced a civil lawsuit over allegations she tapped the Manoogian Mansion Restoration Society's bank account. The state won a default judgment against her in September.

Cheeks is expected to turn herself in at the court Friday, to face one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20 year felony, and eight counts of embezzlement from a charitable organization, punishable by up to 10 years.

Michigan State Police and FBI agents earlier this month raided Cheeks' Livonia home and her parents' home in Detroit as part of an ongoing embezzlement investigation. The Detroit home on Cherrylawn, which is registered with the state as the restoration society's address, is owned by Kilpatrick's uncle Raymond Cheeks, Nneka Cheeks' father.

Former Attorney General Mike Cox alleged that between 2007 and 2009, Nneka Cheeks raided the Manoogian Mansion Restoration Society's bank account, withdrawing more than $7,000 in cash and making nearly $17,000 in questionable payments to third parties.

Authorities listed specific spending by Cheeks of foundation funds on:

$4,025 — Cash withdrawals

$3,943 — Pioneer Credit Recovery to pay off the debt of Cheek's uncle Thomas Mathis

$3,590 — Roostertail Restaurant

$3,091 — Art Van for living and dinning room furniture delivered to Cheeks home.

$2,631 — Jewelry Factory in Livonia for a loose 1.25 carat diamond and her groom's wedding band

$2,500 — Florida-based golf academy

$1,300 — Michigan Veterinary Specialists for care of Cheek's dog "Trouble"

$1,140 — Brides Made Fit for in-home personal fitness training

$450 — Dr. Mok's Allure Medical Spa for Mesotherapy, a cosmetic injection treatment

The civil complaint asked the court to order Cheeks to return the money and pay triple the amount she diverted.

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Fat Grafting For Faces

POSTED: 3:00 pm MDT April 29, 2011PITTSBURGH -- Plastic surgeons have long performed fat grafting for cosmetic reasons, but researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have teamed with the department of defense to study new ways to help soldiers with facial injuries by using adult stem cells from harvested fat. ?I chose to serve with the army. I chose to serve with special operations. I chose to serve in the infantry," Soldier Jeremy Feldbusch said. Jeremy was just 23 and deployed in Northern Iraq when his unit came under attack. ?A piece of shrapnel about an inch by an inch and a quarter thick penetrated the side of my right eye," Jeremy explained. "That was the start of a different battle for me.? The attack left him blind, brain injured, and severely scarred. Doctor Peter Rubin is part of a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center team researching new ways to precisely reshape injured faces using a patient?s own store of fat. ?That?s our best replacement tissue after trauma or cancer therapy,? J. Peter Rubin, M.D., chief of plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, said. Doctor Rubin removes fat from a patient?s abdomen or thighs, then, it?s processed separating tissue layers from other fluids. He then re-injects the concentrated fat into the injured area adding volume and smoothing it out. One potential side effect is grafted fat may be re-absorbed by the body. Ultimately, researchers want to know if adult stem cells present in fat tissue will prevent that. ?We know that they will be stressed by the surgical procedure, and under the stress, they are capable of releasing different growth factors that can assist in the healing process,? Dr. Rubin said. For now, patients like Jeremy are reaping the benefits of the research even without super-charged fat tissue. Jeremy's sunken forehead and large facial scar are less noticeable. ?I don?t know that it?s given me any more confidence," Jeremy said. "It?s made me feel more like me." European researchers have shown that fat grafts performed with tissue enriched by the stem cells show promise, but no studies in this country have proven its effectiveness yet. Pittsburgh researchers say that is one of the main goals of their study. BACKGROUND: According to plasticsurgery.com, fat grafting is a procedure where doctors remove a patient's own fat to re-implant it where it is needed. The fat is typically extracted from body parts like the abdomen, thighs or buttocks and injected into another area that requires "plumping," such as the face. When used as a facial filler, fat grafting can improve the creased and sunken areas of the face and add fullness to the lips and cheeks. FAT HELPS SOLDIERS: A team of doctors at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has received $1.6 million from the Department of Defense to help wounded soldiers recover from facial injuries by using technologies based on the biology of fat tissue. "As many as 26 percent of wounded soldiers suffer some kind of facial injury, which can have a huge impact on quality of life," Dr. J. Peter Rubin, chief of plastic surgery and co-director at the Adipose Stem Cell Center at the University of Pittsburgh, was quoted as saying. "While we can reconstruct bony structures very well, it is the surrounding soft tissues that give people a recognizable face. This project will investigate how soft tissue grafting can more precisely restore facial form and improve the lives of our wounded soldiers." The research program involves the treatment of 20 soldiers with facial injuries. The use of fat grafting for serious facial injuries, such as those resulting from roadside bombs, is performed by using specially-designed devices and instruments for harvesting fat tissue and implanting it into regions of scarred tissue. "Fat grafting, or moving fat tissue from one part of the body to another, has been used as a cosmetic procedure for decades," Dr. Rubin said. "We are now applying this technology for reconstructive surgery to accurately restore facial form after battlefield injuries." (SOURCE: University of Pittsburgh Press Release) HOW IT WORKS: Dr. Rubin first removes fat from a patient's abdomen or thighs. Then, the fat is processed. Tissue layers are separated from other fluids. Dr. Rubin then re-injects the concentrated fat into the injured area. This adds volume and smoothes it out. STEM CELLS: THE FUTURE OF FAT GRAFTING? The research team would ultimately like to know if adult stem cells, which are present in fat tissue, will prevent grafted fat from being reabsorbed by the body. Dr. Rubin's team has separated stem cells from other fat tissue in lab studies. Their goal is to eventually re-inject stem cell enriched tissue for even better results. European studies have shown fat grafts performed with tissue enriched by stem cells shows promise. However, no studies in the United States have proven its effectiveness. MORE For More Information, Please Contact: Amy Dugas, Media Coordinator
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, PA
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