Five alleged drug dealers are facing felony charges for their involvement in the death of Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, the grandson of acting legend Robert De Niro. <\/p>\n
A federal grand jury in New York indicted the quintet on Tuesday, each on a single felony count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors allege the men were \u201cmembers of a criminal network that distributed thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, among other drugs\u201d to young adults and teenagers living in New York City.<\/p>\n
The men arrested by New York officials this week \u2014 identified as Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas \u2014 allegedly used social media to sell the drugs. Prosecutors underscored that the men\u2019s \u201cdrug dealing had deadly consequences: over a three-month span in the summer of 2023,\u201d alleging their drugs led to the deaths of three 19-year-olds. <\/p>\n
Though the indictment did not disclose the victims\u2019 identities, law enforcement confirmed the deaths include De Niro-Rodriguez\u2019s in July 2023, according to several<\/a> reports<\/a>. At the time of her son\u2019s death, actor-producer Drena De Niro<\/a> \u2014 the Oscar winner\u2019s eldest daughter with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott \u2014 said \u201csomeone sold [Leandro] fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him.\u201d<\/p>\n A month after the young \u201cA Star Is Born\u201d actor\u2019s death, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed De Niro-Rodriguez died of an accidental drug overdose, noting he succumbed to the toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine. <\/p>\n Akira Stein, daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, was also an alleged victim. Stein announced his daughter\u2019s death<\/a> in July 2023, months after she died \u201cat the end of May to an overdose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe DEA and US Attorney folks from the NYC Southern District have been really very sympathetic and respectful all through this process and I can\u2019t thank them enough for this hope of some justice for her,\u201d Stein wrote in reaction to news of the arrests <\/a>Thursday. \u201cPlease be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n Shortly after De Niro-Rodriguez\u2019s death, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed that law enforcement had arrested a woman<\/a>, an alleged drug dealer known as the \u201cPercocet Princess,\u201d for her suspected connection with his death. She was arrested on charges of selling drugs to De Niro-Rodriguez.<\/p>\n