2 men charged with distributing drugs that killed transgender activist Cecilia Gentili, prosecutors say

(CNN) — Two men in New York have been charged with distributing fentanyl-laced heroin that allegedly caused the death of transgender activist Cecilia Gentili in February, prosecutors announced Monday.

“Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the New York transgender community was tragically poisoned in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested,” said Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a news release.

The suspects, Michael Kuilan and Antonio Venti, face three felony charges related to the distribution and possession of fentanyl and heroin, according to the indictment. Kuilan is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Gentili, who died on February 6 at 52, was a pillar of New York’s trans community and a staunch advocate for sex workers and people with HIV/AIDS. Her funeral at New York’s revered St. Patrick’s Cathedral drew more than 1,000 attendees adorned in glittering sequins, feathered dresses and veils. Afterward, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York condemned the service.

The night before her death, Gentili returned home after leaving for a few hours, told her longtime partner she wasn’t feeling well and laid down, according to a letter filed by the prosecutor’s office supporting the suspects’ detention.

When Gentili’s partner checked on her the next morning he found her unresponsive and she was later declared dead, the letter said.

Medical examiners determined she died from “acute intoxication caused by the combined effects of fentanyl, heroin, xylazine, and cocaine. Gentili’s blood reflected lethal concentrations of fentanyl and heroin,” the letter said.

Prosecutors accuse Venti of selling the laced heroin, allegedly supplied by Kuilan, to Gentili on February 5, citing text messages, cell site data, and other evidence. A search of Kuilan’s Brooklyn apartment uncovered hundreds of baggies of fentanyl, a handgun and ammunition, prosecutors said in the release.

Venti’s attorney, Joseph Turco, referred to Gentili’s death as an “accident” in a statement and said, “We’re sorry for Cecilia’s death.”

“Our hearts and prayers go to the activist’s family. The situation is a big problem in America, no question about that,” Turco said.

Kuilan’s attorney, Howard Greenberg, said Kuilan didn’t know Gentili in “any way.”

“Michael Kuilan does not know this person who passed in any way, shape, manner, or form,” Greenberg said in a phone call to CNN Monday. “Bottom line, my client, Michael Kuilan, has nothing to do with this.”

Venti and Kuilan are expected back in court on April 22, according to a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe and Nic F. Anderson contributed to this report.

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