Vain Beauty Bandit “Having A Bad Hair Day”

Alleged cosmetic crook worried about appearance during arrest

Alleged "Beauty Bandit" Maria Elizabeth Chrysson was ready for her closeup during her arrest Monday night, telling arresting officers she was disappointed the press wasn't there to capture her capture.

Chrysson allegedly asked officers get in touch with the media as she was hauled away in handcuffs from the Latin Cafe on the corner of 25th Street and Biscayne Blvd. last night. Chrysson was spotted in the restaurant by someone who had seen her on the news and tipped off police.

The 29-year-old, whose Miami-Dade mugshot showed a touch of grey in her dark hair, also wanted police to know she was "having a bad hair day," according to a police.

"She tried to disguise herself, she tried to cover herself with a baseball cap," said Teresita Lopez, with the Miami Police Department. "She was shocked when she was actually aprehended."

Chrysson was apparently upset reporters weren't present at her arrest, Lopez said.

"She likes the publicity, she was looking for you guys yesterday," Lopez told a NBC reporter. "She requested that the media be contacted."

According to police, Chrysson made another request after she was brought to jail, for access to a computer to see if anyone had posted anything on Facebook about her arrest.

The request was declined.

Chrysson booked into a Miami-Dade jail on three charges of grand theft and a charge of possession of fraudulent identification, accused of stealing Botox and other cosmetic treatments from at least three South Florida doctors.

The third doctor came forward just hours before Chrysson was arrested, claiming the medically enhanced enchantress ripped off his practice last December.

Dr. Michael Hall, who runs a wellness clinic in Miami Beach, said Chrysson bounced a check for more than $1,000 worth of Botox and face rejuvenation treatments.

Two dermatologists, one in Miami and the other in Fort Lauderdale, also claimed Chrysson stole more than $3,300 worth of Botox treatments from them this year. Chrysson has yet to be charged in that case.

In each instance, Chrysson allegedly persuaded the doctors to do the cosmetic work - most recently claiming to be a model - and then either walked out of the clinic without paying or bounced a check.

Chrysson had been recently taking to her Facebook page to profess her innocence and to claim she's not the woman seen in surveillance footage walking out of the Fort Lauderdale beauty clinic.

"The only reason I even call myself the beauty bandit is to try and make lite out of such a messed up situation, I will say it one more time, I didn't go into that clinic!" a recent Facebook post reads.

Chrysson's attorney, Daniel Lurvey, said she plans on making restitution to the Miami and Miami Beach clinic but still adamantly denies pulling the same scam in Fort Lauderdale.

"I've had the opportunity to review the video and although there is some resemblance, I don't know that a positive identification can be made," Lurvey said Tuesday.

As for Chrysson's Facebook postings, where she seems to make light of her outlaw status, Lurvey said she meant no harm by it.

"It was more tongue-in-cheek sort of stuff, as opposed to what some people are calling taunting," Lurvey said.

Chrysson's still being held on bond and is expected to make a court appearance Tuesday.

Contact Us