Kimberly Smedley's Facebook profile photo via TheSmokingGun.com

An Atlanta woman who nearly killed a Baltimore stripper after illegally injecting automotive-grade silicone into her buttocks, pleaded guilty Wednesday to using an adulterated and misbranded product.

Kimberly D. Smedley, 45 — who is not a licensed medical practitioner of any kind — faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced. Prosecutors said Smedley used the silicone to enlarge her clients’ buttocks and that she carried out the procedures over an eight-year period, usually in hotel rooms, charging people $500 to $1,600 per session.

“Kimberly Smedley endangered her customers’ lives by injecting them with commercial silicone, causing at least one victim to suffer lung damage from a substance not approved by the Food and Drug Administration,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “No one should undergo medical procedures in a hotel room.”

The case was prosecuted by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s office after the dancer was hospitalized for symptoms of pneumonia. Doctors determined that the fluid in her lungs was a reaction to silicone poisoning.

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After four full days of deliberation, the jury in the death penalty case against Lee E. Stephens remains undecided about whether he and another man killed a corrections officer in the former Maryland House of Correction.

Cpl. David McGuinn was stabbed to death while on duty during an ambush style attack from behind as he was taking the final lockup count for the night at 10 p.m. on July 25, 2006. Stephens was charged with first-degree murder in McGuinn’s death.

The case went to the jury last Wednesday. While court was not in session Friday, the jurors in the case have been deliberating since. On Tuesday, jurors again did not deliver a verdict and were sent home about 4 p.m.

The case against Stephens is based on eyewitness testimony from former inmates on the cell block where the attack occurred and DNA testing of blood recovered from Stephens’ personal effects. The jury has the option to find Stephens guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Paul A. Hackner told the jury when they were given the case that the verdict form also included an option to find Stephens guilty of second-degree murder. A first-degree conviction would open the door to further hearings about whether to impose capital punishment.

The jury has had a tough job put in front of them. There are reasonable issues raised on both sides and, with no video footage, a lot of the state’s case came down to a prisoner who said he saw everything through a mirror he held out of his cell door.

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The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Wednesday released an online toolkit aimed at arming borrowers, banks and others with information to prevent unnecessary foreclosures as well as foreclosure rescue scams.

The kit includes:

• Is Foreclosure Knocking at Your Door? brochure (available online and in print), which encourages consumers facing financing difficulties to contact their servicer, apply for a loan modification, and talk to a counselor.

• Beware of Foreclosure Rescue Scams brochure (available online and in print), which provides information on common scams, tips for detecting fraudulent deals, and resources for reporting criminal activity.

• Spring 2009 edition of FDIC Consumer News, which features advice for consumers on avoiding foreclosure rescue and loan modification schemes.

The tool kit and other helpful resources are available on the FDIC’s foreclosure prevention Web page at www.fdic.gov/foreclosureprevention.