Police have arrested a woman in connection with the July 2 death of actor legend Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson Leandro.
Sofia Haley Marks, 21, is accused of selling drugs to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez shortly before he was found dead in his New York City apartment.
Nicknamed “the Percocet Princess,” Marks was arrested around 6 p.m. Thursday night in an NYPD undercover operation, according to the New York Post.
She faces federal charges for distributing narcotics while investigators continue to search her home.
The teen’s lifeless body was found sitting in a chair next to white powder in a $950,000 one-bedroom apartment on New York’s Wall Street.
Police have arrested a woman in connection with the July 2 death of actor legend Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson Leandro
A police source tells DailyMail.com that the substance was found near his body and there were no signs of trauma. He was found by a friend who had not heard from him for several days and was checking on him, a police source told TMZ.
Residents of the building, right next to the Wall Street subway stop, told DailyMail.com they saw an ambulance and a fire truck arrive on an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon.
Aspiring actor and director Leandro followed in his mother’s and grandfather’s footsteps, landing 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 was also seen in Cabaret Maxime in 2018.
His mother Drena De Niro – an American actress who was adopted by De Niro after the actor married her mother, Diahnne Abbott, in 1976 – announced his death.
His father Carlos, a well-known graffiti artist, and mother Drena, 51, shared a statement on Instagram on Monday reacting 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 of love and support and ask that we be given privacy this time to process this inconsolable grief.
“You can’t spell love without Leo,” Carlos captioned the post, which featured adorable photos of Leandro at different ages.
Drena was adopted by De Niro and took his last name after the actor married her mother, Diahnne Abbott, in 1976.
The teen’s lifeless body was found sitting in a chair next to white powder in a $950,000 one-bedroom apartment on New York’s Wall Street
Robert De Niro leaves the Frank E. Campbell Home with his family after the death of his grandson
She lived a relatively transient lifestyle thanks to her father’s vibrant career, dividing her time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy.
Drena dropped out of school and decided to explore the arts, turning her hand to a slew of career paths including model, DJ and fashion consultant.
She eventually decided to follow in De Niro’s footsteps and quickly found her footing 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 attention to directing and also describes herself as 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 real estate agent whose celebrity clients included Jon Bon Jovi and Renee Zellweger.
De Niro also has two children — twins Aaron and Julian, 27, — from his 1988-1995 relationship with former model and actress Toukie Smith. They were conceived through in vitro fertilizations and delivered by a surrogate mother.
He also had a son, Elliot, 21, in 1998, and a daughter, Helen, 11, in 2011 (also born via surrogate) during his stormy 20-year marriage to his second wife, former flight attendant Grace Hightower.
In May, the 79-year-old actor confirmed that he had welcomed his seventh child Gia Virginia with his girlfriend Tiffany Chan, 43, who he has been linked to since the summer of 2021.
Aspiring actor and director Leandro followed in the footsteps of his mother and grandfather
“You can’t spell love without Leo,” his dad said in a social media tribute, with adorable photos of Leandro at different ages
Robert De Niro is seen in the wake of his grandson Leandro
Leandro’s death comes after the Justice Department filed charges against several Chinese companies and executives for their alleged role in the US trade in fentanyl.
Federal prosecutors say nearly all fentanyl precursors today are manufactured and shipped from China.
Criminal organizations such as the infamous Sinaloa cartel in Mexico work with Chinese companies to get their ingredients for fentanyl.