"Doctor Frankenstein": the life and death of the impostor surgeon Alena Verdi
The impostor Alena Verdi, posing as a plastic surgeon, had a strange life and an even stranger death. Who was the woman who was not afraid of blood and took pleasure in “cutting” others and herself?
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On May 1, 1982, a girl named Antonina was born in Moscow (according to another version in Ukraine). Tonya Gorbunova. She had an ordinary, unremarkable life, no special talents or superpowers. An ordinary family, average academic performance, a predictable future.
And then the very thing happened, after which life takes an unexpected somersault.
Tonya Gorbunova decided to take up plastic surgery. And I went to Ukraine to study, but for some reason not to a medical university, but to a clinic. She assisted the doctor for six months, then moved to another one, in Odessa.
At some point, she felt the strength to work independently, bought a diploma in medical education from the Bogomolets National Medical University with a specialty in General Medicine and returned to Russia.
In 2020, Tonya Gorbunova, a girl with an unremarkable biography, died. And the “best plastic surgeon” with the memorable name Alena Verdi came to Krasnodar.
In Krasnodar, life sparkled with diamond sparkles. Alena launched an advertisement, rented an office, and bought everything she needed. At first, she did not dare to undergo serious manipulations, limiting herself to “beauty” injections. But then courage and complete disregard for medical traditions did their job: the first surgical interventions began.
In addition to the price tag below the market average, Alena had one more trump card - charm. One of her first patients, Svetlana Perova, admits that the “doctor” immediately put her at ease.
“I immediately believed that I was lucky to get to a good specialist - the few other doctors I visited before Alena did not make such a great impression on me,” she recalls.
They don't take me to clinics
Word of mouth has proven to be a much more effective promotion tool than advertising. In addition, Alena used a successful marketing ploy - she asked her patients not to advertise information about her.
Allegedly, the clinics are afraid of competition with her, so they don’t take her in and put a spoke in her wheels. And, as you know, it is the forbidden fruit that is sweet. Women flocked to the secret surgeon in droves; appointments were made months in advance.
Verdi rented an office for her crimes on a street with a symbolic name - 40 years of Victory. The walls were decorated with certificates, letters of gratitude and photographs of satisfied patients after operations. Everything looked quite respectable.
This made the right impression on 36-year-old Anna Andreeva. The woman wanted to give herself a more “open look”, the surgeon suggested circular blepharoplasty (tightening the skin around the eyelids – editor’s note).
On March 23, Verdi operated on her patient under local anesthesia and sent her home.
Arriving for the first dressing change, Anna complained that lumps had appeared under the skin of her eyelids, her eyes were difficult to close, and she constantly felt pain. Alena was not at a loss and took the patient to her home for further care and observations.
All this time she bandaged her, forbidding her to look at herself in the mirror and assuring her that everything would soon pass. When Andreeva finally decided to look at her reflection, it became clear that the situation was deplorable. The lower eyelids were turned outward, the face was disfigured.
Surprisingly, this story did not make it into the media at that time. Verdi managed to somehow convince the patient that it was not her fault (the same charm played a role), it was a fatal mistake.
In addition, she paid for her operation in another clinic, where the doctor partially corrected what Verdi had done.
True, the patient then lost her job. After all, she worked as a stylist, and the beauty industry does not tolerate such defects in appearance.
The most famous plastic surgeon: what Verdi was hiding
Suddenly, Alena changed her principles, stopped being afraid of “competition” with clinics and got a job at one of them, Aesthetic-Med.
Then her face appeared on large banners throughout the city. This created the impression that she was truly an outstanding specialist.
The advertising worked flawlessly, recalls the very first patient, Elena Perova, Verdi was truly considered one of the best.
“At that time, if you asked any woman in the Krasnodar region who the most famous plastic surgeon is, almost everyone would say Alena Verdi - she was so promoted. Many believed that if Verdi could afford to order advertising billboards 3 by 6 meters, then she had money. And money is a symbol of professionalism,” she says.
32-year-old Bela Borisova also believed the advertising on the billboards. Having learned that she could also undergo surgery at a discount from a renowned doctor, she decided not only to correct her breasts, but also to change the shape of her eyelids and wings of her nose, as well as “correct” the line of her lips and eyebrows.
After surgery, Bela began to have serious health problems.
Incorrectly placed stitches caused masses in the abdominal cavity, and it was difficult for her to even straighten up. Subsequently, doctors were horrified when they saw the asymmetry of the face and mammary glands, scars on the scalp, chest and abdomen.
And it’s not just about pain and aesthetic defects. After the operations, Borisova will no longer be able to bear and give birth to a child; the damage caused was irreversible.
Alena took Bela Borisova home to nurse her as usual. But this time the trick failed. Perhaps because the consequences turned out to be more serious, perhaps it was the character of the woman herself - she did not succumb to explanations about the fatal mistakes and absolute innocence of the surgeon.
Although she suffered enough bullying. Surgical interventions right at home on Verdi’s sofa, courses of injections of hormone-containing drugs, dressings in unsanitary conditions and much more.
50-year-old Galina Glebova dreamed of losing weight without dieting and exercise, so she turned to the famous surgeon. Alena advised me to undergo abdominoplasty - surgically remove fat from the abdomen. And so, after enduring several hours on the operating table and parting with 162 thousand rubles, Galina went home. Well, did you leave? With a serious fever, barely able to stand.
Complications were not long in coming. After a few days, huge bruises, pus, fever, weakness and pain began to appear.
As usual, Alena was not embarrassed by anything; she invited the patient home and performed another operation on her kitchen sofa. After this, Galina could no longer contact the outstanding surgeon; she was picked up by an ambulance and taken to a local hospital.
There, real doctors diagnosed her with a festering chemical burn from a postoperative scar and protrusion of the muscles of the umbilical ring. All this caused functional changes in the spine, and then a huge hernia. Instead of the coveted slimness, the woman received a disability.
Doctor Frankenstein
Incredibly, Verdi got away with all this for a long time. Until 2020, then her patient, who, like Galina Glebova, decided to undergo abdominoplasty, died during the operation from blood loss.
A case was opened against the doctor, Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - causing death by negligence. Then the investigators first decided to check Alena’s qualifications. Then it turned out that the documents about the education received were fake.
An outstanding plastic surgeon in the south of Russia turned out to be a dummy. At the Bogomolets University in Kyiv, no one remembers such a student.
"Linden. I graduated from university with them. Bogomolets in 2005. We were the first class to receive plastic diplomas rather than paper ones. And she has a photocopier from an old form and a cardboard book. Although the date is correct, in 2005 graduation was precisely on June 24,” said one of the graduates of the Kyiv university.
It turned out that about 10 patients suffered at the hands of “Doctor Frankenstein,” the nickname Verdi was given in the media. Their appearance and health were caused irreparable harm. And there is a possibility that these are only those who were not afraid to talk about their bad experiences.
Alena tried to escape to Israel, but she was detained and taken into custody. The lawyer achieved a reclassification of the charges, now she was charged with providing services that did not meet security requirements, and the measure of detention was replaced with house arrest.
“Dr. Frankenstein” refused to communicate with the press; once she only gave a short comment to a journalist from the local branch of Komsomolskaya Pravda.
“I can only say that all the accusations are untrue. Other comments will follow. After I publish the material of the TV channel with which I collaborate,” she said and hung up.
She likes blood
But there was no sensational publication of the mysterious materials. On May 29, Alena Verdi, aka Tonya Gorbunova, violated house arrest and went to see a makeup artist. She was not home for about two hours.
The next day she was found unconscious in her apartment. An ambulance took Verdi to the hospital, and she was connected to a ventilator. She died without regaining consciousness.
An autopsy showed that the cause of death was a high dose of insulin, which provoked a hypoglycemic coma. Although it would seem that correctly measuring the dose of the most important medicine is the first thing every diabetic learns.
Verdi’s close friend Artem Chernienko said that Alena was literally obsessed with plastic surgery and not only tried to profit from gullible patients, but also performed operations on herself.
“Once we were sitting in the kitchen, talking. Alena got up, made a puncture, quickly pumped out the fat from her legs and sealed it with medical glue. Another incident occurred in a store. Her jeans suddenly became wet, I didn’t understand what was happening then, but it turned out that her lymph began to leak. Before that, she made a cut for herself and applied glue on top, which “burst.” We arrived home, she drained the lymph with her hands, and again covered all the wounds with glue,” he recalls.
According to him, Verdi constantly said that she was a surgeon and no one could do her job better than her. She even changed the shape of her ears herself, which led to permanent scars on her scalp.
“I don’t know how she did it, but she’s not afraid of pain, all these cuts, she likes blood,” he said.
Come while I'm alive
The journalists had at their disposal a letter from Alena to one of her patients, Anastasia Ismailova. An unsuccessful abdominoplasty in 2017 led to the fact that the girl was forced to live on painkillers and could not bend.
Photo of Anastasia after the operation.
A doctor from Moscow, having learned about this story, volunteered to correct the mistakes of his predecessor. The operation lasted 10 hours and was successful, but everything was not completely corrected.
It was her that Verdi chose from the entire number of her victims to write a letter from the pre-trial detention center. A letter of accusations, of course.
“I’m 37, they’ll put me in 6th grade - a total of 43... I can’t give birth to a child, I can’t have a husband, my career is broken - and I myself will never touch a living person again - not for help, not even a stone’s throw - this is punishable by six years of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. You yourself understand everything, and you understood what you were going to and who you were going with,” Verdi wrote.
And then she unequivocally hinted that she did not have long to live, so she would not be punished in prison, and invited her former patient to come and chat while she was alive.
“I’m not worried about my mother - she’s used to losing children, there are still two left, and she doesn’t need me... I’m worried about only one question. Are you satisfied? Is 6 years enough for me? Or not enough? What do you think? But I’ll disappoint you... I won’t sit. I'll lie down. Calm down, humble and don’t think about anything anymore... Come visit while I’m alive, we’ll talk if you want,” she concluded.
Anastasia didn’t want to talk, and now she blames those who released the unbalanced man, in her words, under house arrest.
On May 30, 2020, Antonina Gorbunova died again, this time for real.
No compensation
Before her death, Verdi managed to admit that the diplomas were fake and she did not have a medical education. According to her lawyer Andrei Taran, the case will be closed due to non-exonerating circumstances.
“Since Verdi managed to admit her guilt before her death, her guilt will be recognized by the court and the case will be closed. However, we will no longer receive information about the activities of the clinic where operations were performed, which Verdi knew about and which we wanted to ask her about in court,” he said.
But the victims will not receive any compensation, Alena did not have any property, and all the women will be left with nothing.
The victims will continue to try to restore their ruined health, the scandalous story will soon be forgotten, their life is short-lived. The case will be closed.
But will investigators want to know who helped “Dr. Frankentshain” acquire his diplomas and certificates and how many other people they helped become “surgeons?” It's a mystery for now.
The circumstances surrounding the death of false surgeon Alena Verdi have become known
5-tv.ru became aware of the circumstances of the death of the false surgeon Alena Verdi in one of the hospitals in Krasnodar. According to reports, the woman, better known as “Dr. Frankenstein,” violated her house arrest and visited a cosmetologist.
Instagram @sinitskaya_j
A photo of Alena Verdi with new makeup and hairstyle appeared on the Instagram account of the Krasnodar makeup artist. The very next day, the notorious plastic surgeon will be found unconscious at home. Ambulance doctors took the woman to the hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit.
Presumably, a loading dose of insulin was introduced into Alena Verdi’s body, which led to a hypoglycemic coma. Currently, the regional Investigative Committee is looking into the causes of the false surgeon’s death.
What is known about Alain Verdi?
The life of the notorious doctor is no less mysterious than her death. A number of media outlets still cannot find out for certain where Alena Verdi came from. According to some reports, the woman's real name is Antonina Gorbunova. In 2013–2014, she showed interest in plastic surgery and began training as an assistant in a private clinic in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.
After returning to Russia, Alena Verdi decided to start an independent practice and bought a diploma in medical education. In 2020, in Krasnodar, positioning herself as an experienced specialist from Moscow, a false surgeon rented a room and began to build a client base.
In October 2020, Alena Verdi got a job in a private clinic, where she received patients. In addition, her clients came to their homes to correct unsuccessful manipulations. The activity of the “doctor” continued until 2020.
Over the course of several years, more than ten patients complained of complications or unsuccessful operations - blepharoplasty, liposuction, breast lift, abdominoplasty, rhinoseptoplasty. In response to the claims, “Dr. Frankenstein” blamed the clinic, which allegedly did not provide analgesia.
Detention and arrest of Alena Verdi
The “professional” activity of the false surgeon went downhill at the end of 2020 after the death of a client. A criminal case was opened against Alena Verdi for causing death by negligence. Then the “doctor” got off with a fine of 150 thousand rubles.
In the spring of 2020, “Dr. Frankenstein” again became a defendant in the case. The reason for the criminal proceedings was the patient’s disability, which resulted from Alena Verdi’s manipulations. The false surgeon was detained while trying to leave Russia and fly to Israel. She was charged with seven counts of providing poor-quality medical care resulting in serious harm to health.
Alena Verdi was in custody until February 2020. Later, the charges against her were reclassified, and the woman was sent under house arrest. The suspect regarded this as a not guilty verdict and calmly walked around the city.
Earlier, 5-tv.ru reported that the false surgeon Alena Verdi died in Krasnodar.
