BROOKLYN (CN) — Two individuals denied accusations Monday that they sold fentanyl-laced heroin to transgender activist Cecilia Gentili, who prosecutors say died after ingesting the defendants’ drugs.
Gentili fatally overdosed on Feb. 6 in her Brooklyn home on fentanyl, heroine, xylazine and cocaine, according to documents filed by the U.S. government.
Michael Kuilan and Antonio Venti — who now face three counts of distributing heroin and fentanyl — were arrested Monday for reportedly selling Gentili the laced drugs that killed her.
Kuilan also faces one count of unlawful gun possession. Both pleaded not guilty in Monday’s proceedings.
“Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement. “Fentanyl is a public health crisis. Our office will spare no effort in the pursuit of justice for the many New Yorkers who have lost loved ones due to this lethal drug.”
A prominent transgender activist in New York City, Gentili was an asylum seeker from Argentina who championed rights for undocumented immigrants, raised awareness of AIDS and advocated for sex workers and the queer community.
She was also an actress, who performed one-woman shows such as “The Knife Cuts Both Ways" and appeared on “Pose,” an FX drama following the lives of trans women of color during the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York.
According to prosecutors, Gentili purchased heroin laced with fentanyl from Venti that he had first acquired from Kuilan. In several text messages between Gentili and a contact saved in her phone as “Antonio Venti,” Gentili asked for a “bundle” in exchange for “100 dollars.” In the texts, prosecutors say, the pair discussed payment and met up the evening before Gentili overdosed.
Prior to this evidence, Kuilan accepted a $100,000 bond and agreed to home detention. But, with the text message evidence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Amir requested both defendants undergo permanent detention ahead of trial.
“The drugs he distributed to Mr. Venti which he then distributed to Ms. Gentili led to her death,” Amir said Monday, referring to Kuilan.
Amir emphasized that Kuilan in particular should be held in custody, pointing to his two prior felony convictions for criminal possession of a controlled substance. He added that he doesn’t see as much of a need for Venti to be held in detention because he does not have prior felony convictions but has been convicted of petty larceny and attempted sale of a controlled substance in state courts.
When law enforcement searched Kuilan’s home, Amir added, they found a handgun, ammunition, 30 grams of fentanyl and a digital scale.
Though U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom disagreed with the need for either defendant to be held in permanent detention, she increased Kuilan’s bond to $250,000. She also requested that Kuilan’s grandmother, who he currently lives with, put her house on the line if he tries to flee or violates the conditions of his bond.
“You go straight to hell if you get your grandmother’s house taken from her,” Bloom said.
Venti’s bond remains at $100,000.
Elizabeth Pabellon, Kuilan’s mother, was present in court Monday and said she was disappointed by the process in Monday’s court proceedings.
While Venti surrendered to law enforcement voluntarily, prosecutors said Kuilan was arrested Monday morning before appearing in court.
“He wasn’t informed to appear in court,” Pabellon said. “They broke my mother’s door down … they didn’t give him the option to turn himself in.”
Pabellon, who agreed to accept responsibility if Kuilan violated his bond conditions along with his girlfriend, grandmother and girlfriend’s friend, said she was confident he would abide by the conditions the court set.
“He’s not going to go anywhere. I know my son,” Pabellon said.
If found guilty, both defendants face a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life.
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