Five people have been federally charged in connection with the 2023 overdose death of actor Robert De Niro’s grandson and two others, authorities said Thursday.

The five men, all in their 20s, are charged in connection with the the overdose deaths of three 19-year-olds in 2023, including Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, Akira Stein, daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, and an unnamed victim, according to a news release from the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

The five suspects were identified as Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant McIver and brothers John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas. 

They all face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl and alprazolam, resulting in the deaths of De Niro-Rodriguez, Stein and the third victim. If convicted as charged, they face a minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. 

Epperson was arrested Tuesday in Troy, New York, the DEA said, while McIver was arrested Tuesday in Houston, Texas. John Nicolas was arrested Saturday in Buffalo, New York, while Roy Nicolas was arrested Saturday in Valley Stream, New York. Barreto surrendered to authorities Wednesday in Manhattan. All five have made their initial court appearances. 

De Niro-Rodriguez’s mother Drena De Niro previously said he died after being sold pills laced with fentanyl. The medical examiner ruled his death accidental, caused by mix of fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs.

“Defendants who distributed the drugs, who killed these young 19-year-olds knew that they were deadly,” Clayton said.

Prosecutors allege the five people arrested used social media and encrypted messaging apps to sell thousands of counterfeit prescription opioid pills laced with fentanyl to teens and young adults.

“Drug trafficking organizations have weaponized social media in a way that allows them to expand their network, make more profits and, unfortunately, get more people addicted to their poison,” Frank Tarentino, special agent in charge for the DEA’s New York Division, said in a news conference Thursday.

One of the victims allegedly warned one of the five suspects arrested that the drugs they had sold her caused her to overdose, and  she told him “just warn customers in batch might be extra strong,” according to federal court documents. She later died after another overdose, prosecutors said.

The second victim died of an overdose two weeks later, and De Niro-Rodriguez died of an overdose less than a month after that. 

De Niro-Rodriguez and his mother appeared in the 2018 movies “A Star Is Born” and “Cabaret Maxime.” He was also credited with an appearance in 2005’s “The Collection.”

Drena De Niro speaks out

De Niro-Rodriguez’s mother released the following statement Friday: 

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez – our Leo – was kind, curious, and full of promise. He was a young man just shy of his 20th birthday, with a bright future ahead of him. We miss him terribly. We know there are thousands of families like ours who understand the nightmare of losing a child or loved one to fentanyl poisoning.

The recent indictments in relation to the wrongful deaths of Victim #1 (whose name has not been made public at this time), Akira Stein, and Leandro De Niro Rodriguez is yet another painful reminder of an epidemic that has risen to plague proportions in the U.S. In 2023, there were 100,000 overdose related deaths. Out of over 2,400 New Yorkers who died of fentanyl-related overdose deaths, approximately 75 of them were teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24.

No parent should have to bury a child. No family should have to endure the suffering of such a senseless and preventable loss.

We are grateful to the law enforcement agencies, including the DEA New York Division and the NYPD as well as many individuals whose work and dedication brought us to this moment. Their efforts mean more than our words can express. Thank you.

We will continue to honor Leo’s life and the lives of countless other children and young adults taken too soon, by raising awareness, advocating for change, and working to ensure that other families will never have to experience this kind of heartbreak.

19 others accused of running drug network in Washington Square Park

In addition, 19 other people were federally charged with running a drug distribution racket in New York City’s Washington Square Park since 2020. The 19 charged have nicknames like “Scarface,” “Butter,” “Hollywood” and “Heavy,” prosecutors said, and face charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.

The indictment alleges they “maintained a year-round market for opioids and crack cocaine” in the park, adding the various defendants have been arrested more than 80 times for drug-related crimes and, when they were released, they returned to the park and kept selling drugs. 

“The defendants are aware that their drugs cause overdoses,” prosecutors wrote.

Pictures in the indictment reportedly show the scene after two people fatally overdosed on drugs containing fentanyl, allegedly sold to them from dealers in the Washington Square Park area.

The victims included an 18-year-old who had just arrived in the city two days after graduating from high school and a 43-year-old person experiencing homelessness who was found dead on a sidewalk.

Law enforcement officials say the investigation into the park took 16 months. They would not confirm whether or not more arrests could be coming. They would only say the investigation is ongoing.

Madonna and her lover Akeem Morris have reportedly gotten engaged.

Insiders told Radar Online that despite the age gap between the duo got engaged secretly.

As per the sources Madonna claims that she “doesn’t want to waste another minute.”

“She’s done everything there is to do, but now she’s craving something genuine. Akeem gives her that sense of calm and connection – he makes her laugh, pushes her in all the right ways, and treats her better than anyone before,” the source said.

Notably, a family friend also told the outlet that the way Madonna and Akeem look at each other it shows that “this is the real thing. She’s completely besotted, and her children absolutely love him.”

Another insider noted that Akeem has brought “a real sense of calm and positivity into Madonna’s life.”

“He’s mature, respectful, and she says he’s shown her more genuine strength and stability than anyone she’s been with – even her ex-husbands,” they said.

The source also adds, “She’s not after a big show – she just wants a meaningful celebration surrounded by the people she loves most.”

On the other hand, Madonna and Akeem Morris are also set to get prenup with insider claiming, “Akeem has no issue with it – he’s already agreed to all kinds of privacy terms since they started dating, so there’s absolutely no conflict about it.”

“Akeem’s just waiting for her to give the word – he already calls her his ‘wifey’ like it’s a done deal,” the insider added.

Billie Eilish wants billionaires to donate more.

As the Grammy and Oscar winner accepted the music award at this year’s WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards on Wednesday night, she urged the ultra-wealthy to address more of the world’s issues.

“We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than, kind of, ever, especially in our country,” Eilish said to an audience that included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, as well as “Star Wars” creator George Lucas. “I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.”

Late-night host Stephen Colbert introduced Eilish onstage at New York’s Museum of Modern Art by announcing that she would donate $11.5 million of the proceeds from her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to causes dedicated to food equity, climate justice and reducing carbon pollution.

In accepting the award, the “Bad Guy” singer added a polite but direct call to others in the room, saying a lot of people, especially in the U.S., could use some help right now.

“Love you all, but there’s a few people in here who have a lot more money than me,” she said, to a smattering of applause. “And if you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? And no hate, but give your money away, shorties.”

Through her Changemaker Program, Eilish has worked with the nonprofit Reverb for years on its Music Decarbonization Project and its Music Climate Revolution initiative, alongside artists ranging from Dead & Company to Harry Styles.

Chan was also honored at the event, receiving the “Philanthropy of Science Innovator of the Year” award. A spokesperson for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Brandi Hoffine Barr, said Zuckerberg and Chan have committed to giving away 99% of their Meta shares to philanthropy over the course of their lifetimes and have already granted out $7 billion. According to Forbes, Zuckerberg’s current net worth is around $224 billion.

Eilish’s comments come as the number of billionaires worldwide continues to grow, with 204 new billionaires added in 2024, according to a January report from Oxfam International titled “Takers Not Makers.”

The report found that the billionaires grew wealthier three times faster in 2024 than in 2023, pointing to an increased concentration of resources globally.

Oxfam predicted that at least five people will become trillionaires in the next decade, up from one person the year before. The group called for higher taxes on the rich and other measures to break up monopolies, cap CEO pay and require companies to pay living wages.

The wealthiest Americans have a long history of calling on each other to give away more of their money. In 1889, the steel magnate and industrialist Andrew Carnegie argued in the essay “The Gospel of Wealth” that the richest should give away their fortunes within their lifetimes, in part to lessen the sting of growing inequality.

In 2010, Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett took up that call by creating the Giving Pledge, a commitment for billionaires to give away more than half their wealth in their lifetimes or when they die.

Fifteen years on, some 256 billionaires have taken the pledge, with 110 of them coming from the U.S., according to a recent report by the Charity Reform Initiative of the Institute for Policy Studies. Those U.S. billionaires represent 13% of the total 876 billionaires in the U.S., according to the report, revealing the small portion of the wealthiest people who have publicly committed to giving away their fortunes.

The report found that of the 22 billionaires who have died since taking the pledge, only one gave away his fortune before he died. Meanwhile, only eight of the 22 deceased pledgers fulfilled the commitment by giving away half of their wealth or more at their death, though some of their estates are still being resolved.

Chuck Collins, one of the authors of the report and an expert at the Institute for Policy Studies, said Eilish’s comments are part of a growing realization that the rules of the economy favor those with assets over those who earn wages.

He thinks the Giving Pledge has created an expectation and competition for the wealthiest to give away their money, but the fortunes of many of the pledgers have increased over time, meaning they will need to move even more aggressively if they are to fulfill the commitment.

“In the end, philanthropy is not a substitute for a fair and effective tax system,” Collins said. “The level of extreme inequality will require some form of restoring progressivity to the tax system, a wealth tax as well as progressive income tax.”