Two men arrested in death of trans activist and performer Cecilia Gentili

Two men have been charged with supplying the drugs that caused the death of transgender activist and performer Cecilia Gentili.

Gentili died February 6 in her New York City home after overdosing on fentanyl-laced heroin. Michael Kuilan and Antonio Venti were charged Monday with distributing the drugs, according to a press release from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Kuilan is also charged with unlawful gun possession. They are currently in custody. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“Text messages, cell site data, and other evidence revealed that Venti sold the fentanyl and heroin mixture to Gentili on February 5, 2024, and Kuilan supplied Venti with those lethal narcotics,” the press release states. Additionally, a search of Kuilan’s apartment in Brooklyn turned up “hundreds of baggies of fentanyl, a handgun, and ammunition,” according to the release.

Gentili was an advocate for the rights of trans people, immigrants, and sex workers. Born in Argentina, she came to the U.S. to live a safer life as a trans woman, according to her biography on the website for Transgender Equity Consulting, which she founded in 2019. The firm provides diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting. She had founded several other organizations as well, and she worked for a time at GMHC, where her efforts included pushing for the passage of New York State’s Gender Non-Discrimination Act, which became law in 2019.

She appeared as an actress on Pose, portraying Miss Orlando, and in a solo stage show based on her early life, Red Ink, which was due to be revived in April. She was author of the memoir Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometoan Who Isn’t My Rapist; it was published in 2022 and won the Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association in 2023.

Upon news of her death, there were tributes from Pose costars Billy Porter, Angelica Ross, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, plus activists including GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis and American Civil Liberties Union attorney Chase Strangio.

Monday’s indictments of Kuilan and Venti marked the first time the cause of Gentili’s death was revealed.

“Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the New York transgender community was tragically poisoned in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in the release. “Fentanyl is a public health crisis. Our office will spare no effort in the pursuit of justice for the many New Yorkers who have lost loved ones due to this lethal drug.”

“Today’s indictment delivers a strong message to anyone who profits from poisoning our communities with illicit drugs: There are dedicated investigators, across multiple agencies, working tirelessly to disrupt your shameful industry by pinpointing the source of these unlawful substances,” added Edward A. Caban, commissioner of the New York City Police Department. “It is imperative that we continue to hold distributors accountable for their callous actions.”

“These arrests result in the charges brought against the defendants for causing the death of transgender rights activist Cecilia Gentili,” said Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino of the Drug Enforcement Administration — New York Division. “Drug poisonings take too many lives too soon from communities nationwide, and DEA is committed to bringing to justice those responsible. Fentanyl is a deadly drug that dealers mix into their product and has accounted for 70 percent of drug related deaths nationwide. The more people that know about the dangers of today’s drug landscape, the more lives can be saved. The death of Ms. Gentili is a reminder of the dangers that illicit drugs have on all communities, including the LGBTQ+ community."