NEW YORK CITY — Famed transgender rights activist Cecilia Gentili died of an overdose from fentanyl-laced drugs sold to her by two men, federal prosecutors said.
Click Here: Luka Modric Jersey Sale
The men — Michael Kuilan, 44, and Antonio Venti, 52 — were indicted Monday in Brooklyn federal court on charges of selling heroin and fentanyl that caused Gentili’s death, authorities said.
“Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the New York transgender community was
tragically poisoned in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, in a statement.
Find out what's happening in New York Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested.”
Gentili, 52, was found dead inside her Marine Park home Feb. 6 by her longtime partner, the New York Times first reported.
Find out what's happening in New York Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Her cause of death — an overdose from the combined effects of fentanyl, heroin, xylazine and cocaine, authorities said — was not publicly revealed at the time.
Gentili’s death prompted an outpouring of grief — including a memorial service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a tribute from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the House floor — from New Yorkers touched by the Argentinian immigrant and artist who advocated for transgender people and sex workers.
Investigators found that Gentili had texted with Venti in the days before her death, requesting a $100 “bundle,” which she picked up in Williamsburg late Feb. 5, court documents state.
The drugs had been supplied to Venti by Kuilan, in whose Williamsburg apartment authorities found 30 grams of fentanyl in hundreds of baggies during a March 12 search, documents state.
“The defendants distributed fentanyl-laced heroin that caused Cecilia Gentili’s death,” the document states.
Prosecutors asked a judge to keep Kuilan and Venti behind bars until trial, contending their potential 20 years-to-life sentences make them both flight risks, documents state.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.