Two men have pleaded guilty to charges of distributing and possessing heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute in connection with the death of 52-year-old transgender activist and community leader Cecilia Gentili, who died in February after she was poisoned by fentanyl-laced drugs.
One of the defendants in the case, 44-year-old Michael Kuilan, who distributed the drugs to Gentili, pleaded guilty to the drug charge on Sept. 23 as well as a separate charge of felony possession of a firearm. The guilty plea at a federal court in Brooklyn comes less than two months after a co-defendant, Antonio Venti, 52, entered a guilty plea for the same drug-related charge. Kuilan and Venti were arrested on April 1.
Gentili, who died due to the combined effects of fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine, and heroin, was a profoundly influential leader in New York City’s LGBTQ community. Community members gathered for an emotional memorial service at Judson Memorial Church the day after Gentili’s death, drawing hundreds of people who told stories about Gentili’s engaging personality and her work in support of sex workers, immigrants, transgender individuals, people living with HIV, and others.
A funeral service was held for Gentili at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Feb. 15. The event featured many of Gentili’s loved ones, friends, and supporters who came to mourn her, but some of the comments voiced during the event later prompted controversy on social media and among Catholic leaders — particularly when one speaker described Gentili as “this great whore, St. Cecilia, the mother of all whores.” The Archdiocese of New York strongly criticized the service as having been “degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way.” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, later offered parishoners “an appropriate Mass of Reparation” in response to what Rev. Enrique Salvo, the pastor at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, described as “the scandalous behavior at a funeral here at St. Patrick’s Cathedral earlier this week.”
Prosecutors said text messages, cell phone data, and other pieces of evidence showed that Venti sold the drugs to Gentili on Feb. 5. Venti obtained those drugs from Kuilan, according to prosecutors. Law enforcement officials found baggies of fentanyl along with a gun and ammunition when they searched Kuilan’s apartment.
Kuilan’s guilty plea was announced by US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino III, and NYPD Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon.
“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,” Peace said in a written statement. “These drugs, heroin and fentanyl, have caused so much pain throughout our community. I hope this case will bring a sense of closure to Gentili’s family and serve as a warning that this Office will be relentless in holding fentanyl dealers accountable.”
Over the years, Gentili, who came to New York from Argentina, made a mark in many different corners of the LGBTQ community. She founded Trans Equity Consulting, served as director of policy at GMHC and board co-chair of the New Pride Agenda, and worked for Apicha Community Health Center. She was a founding member of DecrimNY, a coalition fighitng to decriminalize sex work in New York State. Gentili also wrote a memoir in 2022 and had a role on the FX show “Pose.”
“While these guilty pleas can’t undo the tragic loss of transgender rights activist Cecelia 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,” DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino said in a written statement. “The men and women of DEA New York Division, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to target those responsible for poisoning our communities.”
Venti will be sentenced on Oct. 16, while Kuilan is slated to be sentenced on Jan. 22.
