Michael K Williams death: Drug dealer pleads guilty to providing The Wire actor with fentanyl-laced heroin
A man has pleaded guilty to providing actor Michael K Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, which resulted in his death in 2021.
Irvin Cartagena, 39, sold the drugs in “broad daylight” in New York City, according to lawyer Damien Williams, who said he was “feeding addiction and causing tragedy”.
“In doing so, he dealt the fatal dose that killed Michael K Williams,” the lawyer added.
The Wire star was found dead at his home at the age of 54 after an overdose in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment.
Cartagena pleaded guilty and signed an agreement with prosecutors stipulating that the mix of heroin and fentanyl he sold to Williams resulted in his death.
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Prosecutors said Cartagena and his alleged co-conspirators continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin around residential apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan even after they learned of the actor’s death.
Cartagena’s plea to a charge of conspiring to distribute drugs was entered in Manhattan federal court.
His sentencing is set for 18 August, when Cartagena will face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and the possibility of as many as 40 years.
Another defendant in the case pleaded guilty on Tuesday.
‘A measure of justice’
Williams’s death came despite the New York Police Department launching an investigation which involved a paid informant making controlled heroin buys on the same block where the actor bought drugs.
The day after his death, the informant went back to buy more drugs from the same group and recorded a conversation in which some of them talked about Williams’s overdose.
One denied selling any drugs containing fentanyl.
Read more:
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Last year, four men were charged in Manhattan federal court over a narcotics conspiracy, alleging the distribution of fentanyl-laced heroin.
Cartagena was arrested in Puerto Rico and charged with a narcotics conspiracy that same year.
At the time, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said police detectives in Brooklyn “lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K Williams and his family”.
Who was Michael K Williams?
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Williams left school early to pursue a career as a dancer and worked with high-profile stars including Madonna and George Michael.
He later found himself acting alongside Tupac Shakur in the 1996 film Bullet.
Williams, an Emmy-nominated actor and producer, rose to prominence in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little in The Wire, which even caught the attention of former US President Barack Obama, who praised his work.
The star was also known for his role as Albert “Chalky” White on the hit series Broadwalk Empire from 2010 to 2014.
Soon after the actor’s death, tributes poured in from friends and colleagues in the world of entertainment – and in a statement, HBO, the network where Williams grew as an actor, said his death was an “immeasurable loss”.
It said: “We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years.
“While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him.
“We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.”
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
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