Two men have now pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl-laced heroin to Cecilia Gentili, the legendary transgender activist, author, and performer who died last February at the age of 52.
On Monday, 44-year-old Michael Kuilan pleaded guilty to both possession and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, per a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York. Kuilan was previously charged with distributing the heroin to Gentili alongside 52-year-old Antonio Venti, who entered a guilty plea to the same drug charge in July.
“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,” Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in the release.
As Them previously reported, court documents show that Gentili was found dead in her apartment in Brooklyn on February 6. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office release, authorities determined that she had died “due to the combined effects of controlled substances, including fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine, and heroin.”
Citing text messages and mobile phone data, investigators subsequently determined that Venti sold the fentanyl-laced heroin to Gentili on February 5, and that Kuilan had supplied the drugs to him. Upon searching an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that belonged to Kuilan, law enforcement found “hundreds of baggies of fentanyl,” per the press release, along with ammunition and a handgun.
A mainstay in New York City’s LGBTQ+ scene, Gentili’s influence on the community at large was vast. She served as the policy director of GMHC, the first-ever HIV/AIDS service organization, founded the consulting agency Trans Equity Consulting, and established a free sex worker-centric health initiative at Callen Lorde. She was also an artistic force, appearing as Ms. Orlando on the FX series Pose, authoring the 2022 book Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist, and starring in her 2023 autobiographical off-Broadway show Red Ink.
The day after Valentine’s Day 2024, over 1,400 activists, artists, and other members of Gentili’s family gathered for her historic funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan. The event drew backlash from the Archdiocese of New York, who accused the funeral of being “sacrilegious” in a statement. Gentili’s legacy continues to be felt by the larger LGBTQ+ community, with her powerful advocacy and creative spirit serving as inspiration for future generations of queer and trans organizers.
According to the Associated Press, Venti is expected to be sentenced in October with Kuilan’s sentencing scheduled for January 2025.
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