Overview
- Drena De Niro posted that she felt her son Leandro’s “constant presence” during a Vatican visit with Pope Leo XIV alongside Robert and Julian De Niro.
- Prosecutors recently announced the arrests of Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, and brothers John and Roy Nicolas, alleging a NYC ring that sold thousands of counterfeit pills to teens and young adults.
- The federal indictment cites multiple overdose deaths and describes a “victim 3” whose circumstances match Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, who died in July 2023.
- Court filings recount texts warning a buyer to be cautious, a June 30 delivery by car service to a downtown Manhattan apartment, and Leandro being found unresponsive on July 2.
- Authorities say the network marketed on platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram, and note that Sophia Haley Marks was separately charged in 2023 with selling counterfeit oxycodone pills linked to Leandro’s death.