EXCLUSIVE: Robert De Niro Family Tragedy Deepens — Dealer Who Sold Pills to Actor's Grandson Bought Drugs From Suspects Charged in Multiple Deaths in New York
Robert De Niro's tragedy deepens as his grandson's dealer now faces multiple New York deaths.
Dec. 11 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
The depraved members of a drug ring have been charged with pushing deadly fentanyl-laced opiates to affluent teens and young adults in New York City and Long Island – including the grandson of Hollywood icon Robert De Niro, who died after overdosing in 2023, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Drug Crew Linked to Tragedy
Sophia Haley Marks was accused of selling the fentanyl-laced pills that led to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez's fatal overdose.
Authorities charged five people – Bruce "Tea" Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant "Dizzy" McIver, John "John John" Nicolas and his brother, Roy – with running a sophisticated narcotics distribution network that advertised illicit drugs on social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Telegram.
A sixth suspect, Sophia Haley Marks, 20, was busted in 2023, accused of selling De Niro's grandson, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the pills that led to his fatal overdose on July 2, 2023.
Authorities said Marks bought the pills she sold to Leandro from the drug crew busted on October 30. Leandro, 19, was the only child of the Raging Bull star's oldest daughter, Drena.
According to texts found on Leandro's phone, Marks was planning to sell him three oxycodone pills and two Xanax tablets for $105.
Marks, whose street name is the "Percocet Princess," warned him about their potency.
"Do you really need them?" she texted him. "I don't wanna kill you. I just don't like serving you them because they are not scripts."
Multiple Teens Claimed by Fentanyl
The daughter of the Blondie founder was among the teens who died after allegedly taking fentanyl-tainted pills from the same drug ring.
Leandro was an aspiring actor who'd already appeared in a number of films, including the 2018 hit A Star Is Born. He'd graduated from high school in Aspen, Colorado, and moved to New York for a Broadway theater internship.
He'd only been in his apartment for two days when he accidentally died from a toxic cocktail of fentanyl, generic Xanax, ketamine, cocaine and other drugs, the medical examiner said.
Two other teens, including Akira Stein, the daughter of Blondie founder Chris Stein, also passed away after taking fentanyl-laced pills allegedly sold to them by the same ring, authorities alleged.
It's unclear if Marks is still behind bars.
Sealed Records Raise Big Questions
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Attorney Peter Gleason suggested sealed court filings may indicate Marks is cooperating with prosecutors.
After an initial hearing in July 2023, she was held in lieu of bail.
Since then, some 20 sealed legal papers have been filed that are unavailable to the public, documents showed.
Veteran New York City defense attorney Peter Gleason said sealed files are likely a sign Marks is cooperating with the prosecution.
"It's not definitive, but that's usually what it means in cases like this," he said.
