CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) – A Brazilian woman charged with her ex-husband in a fatal liposuction procedure pleaded guilty Wednesday to a manslaughter charge in a case that exposed an underground cosmetic surgery network used by Brazilian immigrants.

Ana Maria Miranda Ribeiro, 50, was sentenced to one year in prison after she admitted acting as a nurse for her former husband, Luiz Carlos Ribeiro, as he performed the procedure on Fabiola DePaula in the basement of a Framingham condominium in July 2006.

DePaula, 24, died of complications from the surgery, including pulmonary fat emboli, or fat particles in the lungs, a known complication of liposuction.

Assistant District Attorney Lee Hettinger said witnesses saw Ana Ribeiro wearing surgical gloves and helping her husband perform CPR on DePaula.

Luiz Ribeiro was a licensed doctor in Brazil, but neither he nor his ex-wife were licensed to practice medicine in the United States, Hettinger said.

The Ribeiros, from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, preyed on the insecurities of Brazilian immigrants, he said.

“They were taking advantage of the Brazilian community and the knowledge that members of the Brazilian community undergo these procedures with regularity,” he said.

Ana Ribeiro pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of distribution of a Class A substance, which carries a maximum of 10 years. The drug charges are related to her administering a sedative illegal in the United States to DePaula.

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Wendie Gershengorn sentenced Ana Ribeiro to one year despite the prosecution’s request for a six- to eight-year sentence.

She will serve just one additional month behind bars after being credited for the 11 months she served in state custody while awaiting trial, prosecutors said. Upon completion of her sentence, she will be turned over to federal immigration officials for deportation proceedings.

Hettinger said Luiz Ribeiro performed liposuction, nose jobs and Botox injections for several years in the Framingham area, mostly for the town’s large Brazilian immigrant population, which places a high value on beauty.

The procedures were performed on a massage table, under unsanitary conditions and without any emergency oxygen in place, he said.

He said if the procedure had been monitored in a hospital, DePaula’s death could have been prevented.

Ana Ribeiro’s lawyer, Michael Brennan, denied the prosecution’s claim that the Ribeiros had pressured Brazilian women to have cosmetic procedures done.

“He didn’t come here with a plan or a scheme,” Brennan said, adding that Ana Ribeiro has been extremely remorseful and has accepted responsibility for her role in the DePaula’s death.

“It’s a terrible situation,” Brennan said. “At least two families and probably more have been devastated by this.”

Luiz Ribeiro is still awaiting trial on manslaughter charges.

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Editor’s Note: Denise Lavoie is a Boston-based reporter covering the courts and legal issues. She can be reached at dlavoie(at)ap.org

AP-ES-09-05-07 1749EDT