Robert De Niro’s grandson, 19, died after taking fake oxy laced with fentanyl
The 20-year-old ‘Percocet Princess’ who allegedly sold Robert De Niro’s grandson drugs before his death warned him that they could potentially kill him before she sold him the pills.
Sophia Haley Marks, 20, is accused of selling 19-year-old Leandro De Niro Rodriguez drugs shortly before he was found dead in his New York City apartment.
Marks has been nicknamed ‘the Percocet Princess’, was arrested Thursday night at around 6 p.m. in an NYPD undercover sting operation, according to the New York Post.
Legal documents say that police found pills at the scene where Rodriguez died and used the teenager’s phone to find text messages with Marks, where he asked to buy counterfeit oxycodone and Xanax in the days leading up to his death.
Marks outright tells Rodriguez via text: ‘do you really need them? I don’t wanna kill you. I just don’t like serving u them cuz they not script.’
Police have arrested a woman in connection with the July 2 ‘drug overdose’ death of acting legend Robert De Niro ‘s 19-year-old grandson Leandro
According to the messages, Marks and Rodriguez agreed on him buying three of the fake pills and two tabs of Xanax for $105.
The 20-year-old dealer than warned Rodriguez: ‘don’t go overboard with these.’
Rodriguez received the drugs at around 9 p.m. on July 1. Marks checked in on him less that five hours later asking: ‘u good?’ but never received a response.
The teenager’s lifeless body was found sitting in a chair beside white powder inside a $950,000, one-bedroom apartment on Wall Street in New York on July 2.
Shockingly, Marks continued to sell drugs after Leandro’s death, falling for an undercover NYPD sting, according to TMZ.
An agent bought 25 pills from Marks on July 9 for 500 and she allegedly warned the buyer: ‘please be careful with these. don’t do more than one at a time. my friend just died.’
The pills were the same found at the scene of Rodriguez’s body.
Marks faces one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and alprazolam and two counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl.
If found guilty on all charges, she could face up to 60 years in prison.
A police source tells DailyMail.com the substance was found near Rodriguez’s body and there were no signs of trauma. He was found by a friend who hadn’t heard from him in a few days and was checking in on him, a police source told TMZ.
Residents in the building, right next to the Wall Street subway stop told DailyMail.com they saw an ambulance and a fire truck pull up on an otherwise tranquil Sunday afternoon.
Aspiring actor and director Leandro was following in his mother and grandfather’s career footsteps, landed a small role in 2018’s A Star Is Born as the son of Bradley Cooper’s best friend, George ‘Noodles’ Stone, played by Dave Chappelle. He also appeared in Cabaret Maxime in 2018.
His mother Drena De Niro – an American actress adopted by De Niro after the actor married her mother, Diahnne Abbott in 1976 – announced his death.
His father Carlos, a renowned graffiti artist, and mother Drena, 51, shared a statement on Instagram on Monday as they reacted to Leandro’s untimely passing.
‘It is with immeasurable shock and sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved son Leo. We thank you for the outpouring love and support and ask that we are given privacy this time to process this inconsolable grief.
‘You can’t spell Love without Leo,’ Carlos added as the caption to the post, which featured sweet pictures of Leandro at different ages.
The teenager’s lifeless body was found sitting in a chair beside white powder inside a $950,000, one-bedroom apartment on Wall Street in New York
Robert De Niro leaves the Frank E. Campbell Home with his family following his grandson’s death
Robert De Niro’s grandson Leandro, 19, was found dead with a ‘white powdery substance’ on a plate near his body and ‘no signs of trauma’ in $1m Wall Street apartment
Drena was adopted by De Niro, and took his surname, after the actor married her mother, Diahnne Abbott, in 1976.
She had a relatively transient lifestyle thanks to her father’s vibrant career and split her time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy.
Drena left school and decided to explore the arts, turning her hand to a whole host of career paths including model, DJ and fashion consultant.
She eventually decided to follow in De Niro’s footsteps and soon found her feet as an actress and filmmaker.
She made De Niro a grandfather in 2003 when she welcomed Leandro with her then-boyfriend Carlos Rodriguez.
Drena, who currently lives in New York, has since turned her attentions to directing and also describes herself as being trained in Muay Thai and martial arts.
At 51, Drena is five years older than De Niro’s oldest biological child, Raphael, with Abbott. Now 46, he’s a Manhattan estate agent whose celebrity clients have included Jon Bon Jovi and Renee Zellweger.
De Niro also has two children — twins Aaron and Julian, 27, — from his relationship between 1988 and 1995 with former model and actress Toukie Smith. They were conceived by in vitro fertilizations and delivered by a surrogate mother.
In 1998, he also had a son, Elliot, 21, and in 2011, a daughter, Helen, 11, (also born via surrogate) during his stormy 20-year marriage to his second wife, former flight attendant Grace Hightower.
Aspiring actor and director Leandro was following in his mother and grandfather’s career footsteps
‘You can’t spell Love without Leo,’ his father said in a social media tribute, which featured sweet pictures of Leandro at different ages
Robert De Niro is seen at the wake of his grandson Leandro
In May, the 79-year-old actor confirmed that he’d welcomed his seventh child Gia Virginia with his girlfriend Tiffany Chan, 43, to whom he has been linked since summer 2021.
Leandro’s death comes after the Department of Justice filed charges against several Chinese companies and executives over their alleged role in the U.S. fentanyl trade.
Federal prosecutors say nearly all fentanyl precursors are manufactured and shipped from China today.
Criminal organizations like the infamous Sinaloa cartel in Mexico work with Chinese companies to get their ingredients for fentanyl.
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