Man sentenced to five years for overdose death of trans activist Cecilia Gentili

BROOKLYN (CN) — Antonio Venti was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for selling fentanyl-laced heroin that led to the overdose death of transgender activist and performer Cecilia Gentili.

Venti pleaded guilty to drug distribution last July after prosecutors acquired texts in which Gentili asked Venti for “a bundle” in exchange for “100 dollars.” Shortly after those texts were exchanged, prosecutors say Gentili overdosed on Feb. 6 in her Brooklyn home on fentanyl, heroin, xylazine and cocaine.

On top of prison time, Venti was also ordered to pay $24,432 in restitution. He is charged alongside Michael Kuilan, 44, who pleaded guilty to drug distribution and unlawful gun possession. Prosecutors say Kuilan supplied Venti with the drugs eventually sold to the activist. His sentencing is currently set for March 11.

Before receiving his sentence, Venti said he was “extremely sorry” for the role he played in Gentili’s death. She was a close friend, he added, who helped him stay clean when he was struggling with addiction.

“My reminder about her death is the first thing I can think of when I wake up in the morning,” Venti said.

He added that he’s lost a lot of loved ones to addiction and has been seeking treatment himself.

“I refuse to let my addiction take anything else from me,” Venti said.

Gentili was a prominent New York City-based transgender activist. An asylum seeker from Argentina, she championed rights for undocumented immigrants, raised awareness for AIDS, and advocated for sex workers and the queer community.

She was also an actress who appeared on “Pose,” an FX drama following the lives of trans women of color during the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York, and performed one-woman shows, including “The Knife Cuts Both Ways.”

Gentili’s partner, Peter Scotto, also appeared at the sentencing and occasionally broke down in tears at parts as he recounted how addiction ended her life.

“She was an incredible person,” Scotto said. “I woke up with her for the last 10 years every day.”

Scotto added that, other than her struggle with addiction, they had a happy life together.

“We had love and laughter in our lives,” Scotto said. “And yet she relapsed.”

Federal prosecutors asked for the minimal sentence, indicating it’s clear Venti feels remorse.

“We don’t need to belabor the point, it’s obviously very serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Amir said.

While U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan agreed, he added that the court needs to send a message of general deterrence to Venti and the public about the dangers of drug addiction.

“This whole case is powered by the illness of addiction,” Cogan said. “Fentanyl is killing so many of our people.”

Fentanyl, which is 100 times more potent than morphine, has dominated the cause of overdose deaths in the last decade. From 2013 to 2023, fentanyl-involved opioid deaths drove rises in overall overdose deaths by over 23-fold, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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