Two men plead guilty in drug overdose death of New York transgender and sex worker rights activist

Two men pleaded guilty Monday to distributing drugs that caused the death of a well-known transgender and sex worker rights advocate, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said.

Michael Kuilan, 44, and Antonio Venti, 52, were charged with selling and possessing heroin and fentanyl with intent to resell. The drugs were sold to Cecilia Gentili, a trans rights advocate who helped lead efforts to decriminalize sex work in the state. Her attorney's information was not immediately available.

“These drugs, heroin and fentanyl, have caused so much suffering in our community,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “I hope this case will provide some sense of closure for Gentili's family and serve as a warning that this office will be relentless in holding fentanyl traffickers accountable.”

The news comes months after Gentili was found dead in her Brooklyn bedroom last February. Her death sent shockwaves through the local health care community and sparked expressions of grief and statements from activists, the LGBTQ+ community and elected officials. The two men were charged in April with distributing the drugs.

Authorities searched text messages and cell phone data and found that Venti Gentili had sold the mixture of heroin and fentanyl that Kuilan supplied, court documents show. Authorities also searched Kuilan's home and found “hundreds of baggies of fentanyl,” according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Kuilan also pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.

“While these guilty pleas cannot undo the tragic loss of transgender rights activist Cecelia Gentili, they send a message that we will do everything in our power to ensure that those responsible for drug-related deaths face the consequences of their actions and that justice is served for the families of those who lost their lives,” said Frank Tarentino, special agent in charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.