Four men have been charged in the overdose death of actor Michael K Williams, a federal prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Williams, the renowned actor from The Wire who overdosed just hours after buying fentanyl-laced heroin in a deal recorded on security camera video.
The man apparently seen on camera handing Williams the drugs on a Brooklyn sidewalk, Irvin Cartagena, was charged with directly causing the actor’s death, authorities said.
New York City’s medical examiner earlier ruled that Williams, 54, died of acute drug intoxication on 6 September. He was found dead by family members in his penthouse apartment. At that time, the medical examiner’s office ruled Williams’s death an accident.
“Michael K Williams, a prominent actor and producer, tragically overdosed in his New York City apartment from fentanyl-laced heroin,” Damian Williams said in a press release.
“Today, along with our law enforcement partners at the NYPD, we announce the arrests of members of a drug crew, including Irvin Cartagena, the man who we allege sold the deadly dose of drugs to Michael K Williams. This is a public health crisis. And it has to stop.”
William’s death was investigated by the New York City police department, but the charges were brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, who revealed that the suspects had been under surveillance even before the actor’s fatal overdose in September.
The charges stemmed from a months-long sting operation, during which a paid informant working for the NYPD had been making controlled buys of heroin on the same block where Williams purchased his drugs. An undercover police officer made one purchase just days before the actor bought his fatal dose, court papers said.
The day after the actor’s death, the NYPD’s informant went back to buy more drugs from the same group, recording a conversation in which some members of the crew talked about Williams’s overdose. One denied selling any drugs containing fentanyl.
Cartagena and the three other men in the case were arrested on Tuesday. Three made initial appearances on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. Cartagena’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday in Puerto Rico, where he was arrested.
Sewell said police detectives in Brooklyn “lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K Williams and his family”.
Police pieced together Williams’s movements in the hours before his death using data from his mobile phone and license plate readers. A security camera on the block recorded the drug deal, police said.
The men continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin in broad daylight amid apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan even after knowing that Williams had died from one of their products, authorities said.
The others charged were identified as Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56, and Carlos Macci, 70, all of Brooklyn. Their lawyers did not immediately return messages seeking comment. It was not clear whether they were the men seen in the surveillance video.
All three were ordered detained at their initial court appearances.
The conspiracy charges against all four carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years. The charge against Cartagena accusing him of causing the actor’s death carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life.
