Second pleads guilty in fentanyl-laced overdose death of trans activist Cecilia Gentili

BROOKLYN (CN) — A man pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court Monday to selling the fentanyl-laced heroin that led to the overdose death of transgender activist Cecilia Gentili.

Michael Kuilan, 44, was charged distributing heroin and fentanyl and unlawful gun possession. He was charged alongside Antonio Venti, 52, who pleaded guilty in July to a drug distribution charge.

The pair were arrested in April after prosecutors determined their drugs led to Gentili’s fatal overdose in her Brooklyn home on Feb. 6. According to documents filed by the U.S. government, Gentili was on fentanyl, heroine, xylazine and cocaine when she died.

Kuilan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the drug distribution charge and 35 years for the firearm charge. Prosecutors say it’s likely Kuilan will spend 21 to 27 years in prison according to sentencing estimates. His sentencing is scheduled for January 2025; Venti’s is on Oct. 16.

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.”

“The perpetrators of the tragic poisoning of Cecilia Gentili, a prominent leader of the New York transgender community, have now both admitted their guilt in selling the lethal drugs that have caused this heartbreaking death,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement Monday.

According to court documents, Gentili exchanged several texts with a contact saved in her phone as “Antonio Venti” and asked for a “bundle” in exchange for $100. Prosecutors say the pair discussed payment and met up the evening before Gentili overdosed.

“While these guilty pleas can’t undo the tragic loss of transgender rights activist Cecilia Gentili, it sends a message that we will do everything we can to make sure those responsible for drug related deaths face the consequences for their actions, and the families of those who lost their lives receive justice,” Frank Tarentino, special agent in charge of the New York division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in a statement.

Kuilan declined to comment.

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