Authorities charged five people in connection with the 2023 overdose deaths of Robert De Niro’s grandson and two other 19-year-olds. Authorities say Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant McIver, John Nicolas, and Roy Nicolas ran a fentanyl distribution ring. This group sold counterfeit prescription opioid pills through social media to teenagers and young adults in New York.
How It Happened
Prosecutors allege the group used social platforms and encrypted messaging to move thousands of fentanyl-laced pills between January and July 2023. Over that summer, at least three young people died after they took those pills, officials say. The pattern is painfully clear and, sadly, all too familiar: dealers hide behind screens, pills masquerade as legitimate medication, leaving families with questions they can’t answer.
The Victims Named
Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, the only child of De Niro’s daughter Drena, died on July 2 after he took pills that investigators traced back to a dealer connected to McIver, Epperson, and Barreto. Akira Stein, the daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, was found dead on May 30; prosecutors allege she bought fentanyl-laced pills from John and Roy Nicolas. A third 19-year-old, unnamed by officials, died on June 13 after buying pills through an intermediary linked to McIver.
A separate arrest in 2023 involved a woman accused of selling De Niro-Rodriguez three counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, along with Xanax tablets.
Charges and consequences
Each of the five faces charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute. If convicted, the penalties are severe: a mandatory minimum of 20 years and potentially up to life in prison. Ricky Patel, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New York, called it a “trail of irreversible loss” that cut short promising lives and left deep pain for those who knew them.
Robert De Niro released a short, heartfelt statement after his grandson’s death, saying he was “deeply distressed” by the loss of his “beloved grandson.” Chris Stein thanked officials after the arrests, saying the developments offered “some hope of justice for her.”
This story is a stark reminder of how quickly a night out or a single pill can turn tragic. It’s also a warning about the reach of social media marketplaces and encrypted apps in the drug trade.
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Sources:
- www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24nwz9pd4o.amp
- www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-10-30/robert-de-niro-grandson-leandro-death-five-indicted-overdose
