NEW YORK — A New York City drug vendor was sentenced Friday to 10 years in jail for offering “The Wire” actor Michael Ok. Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, inflicting his loss of life.
Irvin Cartagena, 40, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams. Cartagena had pleaded responsible in April to conspiring to distribute medicine.
Williams overdosed in his Brooklyn penthouse house in September 2021. He died hours after authorities mentioned he purchased the heroin from Cartagena on a sidewalk in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood in a deal recorded by a safety digital camera.
Williams famously portrayed Omar Little, the rogue robber of drug sellers, in HBO’s “The Wire,” which ran from 2002 to 2008. In addition to his work on the critically acclaimed drama, Williams additionally starred in movies and different TV collection akin to “Boardwalk Empire.”
Cartagena confronted a compulsory minimal of 5 years in jail and will have confronted as much as 40 years behind bars.
“I am very sorry for my actions,” he mentioned earlier than the sentence was introduced. “When we sold the drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life.”
Abrams famous that those that knew Cartagena mentioned that he was “helpful and humble and hard working” when he was not utilizing medicine himself.
“I’m hopeful that with treatment, … it will help you move forward on a more productive and law-abiding path,” the decide mentioned.
In a press release, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams famous that those that participated within the sale of medicine to Williams already knew that another person had died from medicine they have been peddling.
Prosecutors mentioned Cartagena and others continued to promote fentanyl-laced heroin in Manhattan and Brooklyn even after Williams died, though Cartagena finally fled to Puerto Rico, the place he was arrested in February 2022.
In a protection submission previous to sentencing, Cartagena’s lawyer, Sean Maher, mentioned his consumer was paid for his road gross sales in heroin to help his personal use.
“In a tragic instant, Mr. Cartagena was the one who handed the small packet of drugs to Mr. Williams — it easily could have been any of the other men who were there or in the vicinity selling the same drugs,” Maher wrote. “Sentencing Mr. Cartagena to double digits of prison time will not bring back the beautiful life that was lost.”
Prosecutors in a presentence submission had requested a sentence of a minimum of 12 years whereas the court docket’s Probation Department had really helpful a 20-year time period after citing Cartagena’s 14 prior convictions for drug-related crimes, together with housebreaking, theft and jail escape.
Abrams, although, mentioned the suggestions have been “simply too high.”
“This sentence, while severe, is sufficient but not greater than necessary,” she mentioned.
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