Woman arrested in connection with death of Robert De Niro's grandson, sources say
A 20-year-old woman was arrested in New York City on Thursday night in a drug dealing investigation linked to the death of Robert De Niro's grandson, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Sophia Haley Marks was charged with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and alprazolam, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, each of which also carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Marks is allegedly known on the streets as the "Percocet Princess" and is believed to have sold drugs to 19-year-old Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, the sources said.
The arrest is part of an ongoing probe by the New York City Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
"Last night, my Office, the Southern District of New York, authorized the arrest of Sophia Marks in connection with her distribution of fake oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. "At least one of Marks’s counterfeit pills was purchased and taken by a teenager who subsequently died of a suspected overdose. The arrest was critical because, as we allege, Marks knew the pills could kill, and she continued selling them anyway."
He added: "Fentanyl is now the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49. More than cancer, car accidents, or gun violence. It is a law enforcement crisis and a public health crisis. And we are doing everything we can to stop it."
Detectives have been investigating De Niro-Rodriguez’s July 2 death in Lower Manhattan as a possible drug overdose, though an official cause of death has not yet been determined.
De Niro-Rodriguez's mother, Drena De Niro, broke the news of her son's passing in an Instagram post on July 3, but didn't offer details on how he died.
Drena De Niro was adopted by Robert De Niro when he was married to Diahnne Abbott, the actor's first wife. Drena De Niro is Abbott's daughter from a previous relationship.
De Niro-Rodriguez was also an actor, appearing alongside his mother in the 2018 films "A Star Is Born" and "Cabaret Maxime."
ABC News' Carson Blackwelder and Stephen Iervolino contributed to this report.
