Woman Arrested in Connection With Death of Robert De Niro’s Grandson
A 20-year-old woman has been arrested on federal drug charges stemming from an investigation tied to the death of Robert De Niro’s grandson, ABC News reports.
Sofia Haley Marks was arrested Thursday evening, July 13, and is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan federal court Friday. She was reportedly arrested on federal drug distribution charges. A rep for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
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Leandro De Niro Rodriguez died earlier this month at the age of 19. An official cause of death has yet to be determined, but police have been investigating it as a possible drug overdose. Leandro’s mother (and De Niro’s adopted daughter), Drena De Niro, previously said on Instagram that she believed someone “sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him.”
According to law enforcement sources, it’s believed that Marks — allegedly known as the “Percocet Princess” — sold drugs to Leandro. Her arrest was also reportedly part of an ongoing probe by the NYPD, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security. As of publication, it was unclear if Marks had retained a lawyer yet.
Following Leandro’s death, Robert De Niro shared a statement, saying, “I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo. We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo.”
Leandro appeared in three films over the course of his life, always alongside his mother. As a young child, he was credited with an appearance in Bruno de Almeida’s feature, The Collection; 13 years later, he appeared in another de Almeida movie, Cabaret Maxime, as well as Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born. In that film, Drena was cast as Paulette Stone, the wife of Dave Chappelle’s character, Noodles (a longtime friend of Cooper’s Jackson Maine), while Rodriguez played their son, Leo.
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