NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Law enforcement officials in New York announced criminal charges for four men in connection to the overdose death of actor, producer, and social critic Michael K. Williams in September 2021.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, alleged co-conspirators Irvin “Green Eyes” Cartagena, Hector “Oreja” Robles, Luis “Mostro” Cruz, Carlos “Carlito” Macci were charged with as members of a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and heroin.
Cartagena was arrested in Puerto Rico, while Robles, Cruz, and Macci were arrested in New York and faced arraignment in in Manhattan federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.
According to a joint statement from Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Keechant Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, the four were charged for their alleged connection to a drug trafficking organization that was operating in the vicinity of 224 South 3rd Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
According to prosecutors, the four men were alleged to have continued distributing their fentanyl laced product even after becoming aware that Williams had overdosed.
Williams was most famous for his portrayal of the notorious gay stickup artist Omar Little in all five seasons of the HBO police drama The Wire. Williams was nominated twice for the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for the role in 2007 and 2009.
In addition to his work on The Wire, Williams appeared in films such as 12 Years A Slave, Motherless Brooklyn, and Kill the Messenger, among others. He also reprised his role as Omar in the tounge-in-cheek musical stage adaption of The Wire produced as a video short by Funny or Die.
.jpg){kind=link}