Michael Kuilan, one of two men who pleaded guilty in connection with the death of trans activist Cecilia Gentili, was sentenced to 19 years in prison on May 27.
Kuilan, 45, pleaded guilty last September to charges of distributing and possessing heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute and felony possession of a firearm — all tied to his actions associated with the death of Gentili, who died of a fatal overdose on Feb. 6 of last year.
The death of Gentili, a longtime activist dedicated to advancing the rights of transgender individuals, sex workers, immigrants, and others, prompted an outpouring of grief across the city’s LGBTQ community. Hundreds of people attended a memorial service at Judson Memorial Church the day after Gentili died, and a subsequent funeral service was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, though some comments during the event prompted the Archdiocese of New York to criticize the service.
Kuilan’s sentencing comes months after 53-year-old co-defendant Antonio Venti was sentenced to five years in prison on the same drug charge. Federal prosecutors said Venti sold the fentanyl and heroin to Gentili one day before her death, and Venti obtained the drugs from Kuilan.
“Cecilia Gentili was tragically poisoned from fentanyl-laced heroin,” Interim United States Attorney Joseph Nocella of the Eastern District of New York said in a written statement. “Today, the perpetrators who sold the deadly drugs to Gentili are being held accountable. This Office will be relentless in prosecuting fentanyl dealers.”
Gentili died due to the combined effects of multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine, and heroin. Law enforcement officials who searched Kuilan’s Williamsburg apartment discovered hundreds of baggies of fentanyl as well as a handgun and ammunition.
Gentili hailed from Argentina, but later made a mark in New York City’s LGBTQ community, where she served in a wide range of roles at organizations such as GMHC, New Pride Agenda, and Apicha Community Health Center. She also appeared on the hit FX show “Pose” and had her own one-woman show.
Moreover, Gentili played a role in advancing initiatives such as DecrimNY, which was founded in 2019 to fight for the decriminalization of sex work, and the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which added gender identity and expression as a protected class in the state’s human rights and hate crimes laws.
