71-year-old drug dealer sentenced in overdose death of Michael K. Williams
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The drug dealer tied to the overdose death of actor Michael K. Williams has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors say Carlos Macci, 71, was part of a four member crew that sold drugs in Brooklyn, including the drugs that claimed the life of the actor in 2021.
On Tuesday, Macci was sentenced to 2 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who told Macci that selling heroin and fentanyl "not only cost Mr. Williams his life, but it's costing your freedom," in part because he did not stop selling drugs after Williams died.
Macci pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess and distribute narcotics.
The 71-year-old is among four people who were arrested in connection to the death of "The Wire" in September.
Macci was not charged directly in the actor's death, although others in the case - Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56, and Irving Cartagena, 39 - have been.
According to court documents, on or about Sept. 5, 2021, the defendants sold Williams the heroin, which was laced with fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue, with Cartagena executing the hand-to-hand transaction.
During the sentencing, Williams' nephew, Dominic Dupont, recommended compassion for the defendant.
"It weighs heavy on me to see someone be in a situation he's in," Dupont said. "I understand what it is to be system impacted."
Earlier this month, David Simon, the co-creator of the hit HBO series "The Wire," wrote a letter to the judge, urging for leniency in the sentencing.
In the three-page letter, Simon argued that Macci was a victim of the same situation that claimed the life of his friend.
"I miss my friend," he wrote. "But I know that Michael would look upon the undone and desolate life of Mr. Macci and know two things with certainty: First, that it was Michael who bears the fuller responsibility for what happened. And second, no possible good can come from incarcerating a 71-year-old soul, largely illiterate, who has himself struggled with a lifetime of addiction."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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