(VitalNews.org) – Carlos Macci, 72, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in Michael K. William’s fatal overdose. Macci was one of four men who were arrested on narcotics charges relating to the death of the actor best known for his role on television’s “The Wire”, in which he ironically played drug dealer, Omar Little. All four men have taken plea deals after being caught running a drug-trafficking organization that operated in broad daylight on the streets of Brooklyn.
Williams, 54, died from a drug overdose in his Brooklyn apartment on September 6th, 2021. The heroin he had purchased from the men was laced with fentanyl, the highly dangerous and illegal narcotic associated with 70,600 overdoses in 2021 alone. Prosecutors noted that Macci had continued to sell this fentanyl-laced heroin in the days following Williams’ death, even after the overdose had made headlines. They argued that his actions following Williams’ death, along with the decades he had spent selling dangerous drugs and helping to fuel people’s addictions, meant that he should receive a more harsh sentence of 48 months.
Macci, however, found support from David Simon, the co-creator of The Wire and friend to Williams. He wrote a 3-page missive to the judge pleading for leniency, citing Macci’s advanced age and his own lifelong difficulties with drug addiction. He added that his friend had been opposed to incarceration and to the war on drugs and wouldn’t have wanted Macci to face a long prison sentence.
Judge Ronnie Abrams said she struggled to find the appropriate balance in sentencing the septuagenarian. She observed that his actions had contributed to a man’s untimely death and that Macci had continued peddling a lethal product even after Williams’ death made the news. Abrams considered the man’s age, hard upbringing, and lifelong addiction in her sentencing, adding that she did not think people should be defined by their biggest mistake in life. Macci showed remorse in the dock, apologizing to the court for his role in Williams’ death before receiving the verdict.
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