Wire co-creator and producer David Simon A Manhattan judge has been urged to show leniency in sentencing a 71-year-old man who sold fentanyl that resulted in the death of Simon’s friend in 2021. Wire actor Michael K. Williams,
in a three-page letter received by the new York Times, Simon asked Federal District Court Judge Ronnie Abrams to show clemency at the upcoming sentencing of Carlos Macci, one of four men who pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing narcotics. killed williams In September 2021.
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“What happened to Mike is a grave tragedy,” Simon wrote in the letter. many times. “But I do know that Michael will look back on Mr. McKee’s undone and desolate life and know two things for sure: First, that Michael bears full responsibility for what happened.”
Simon adds that, secondly, “there may not be any potential benefit from imprisoning a 71-year-old soul, who is largely uneducated, who has himself battled drug addiction all his life.” Simon writes that Macci did not sell drugs for profit “but rather someone who trapped himself in an addiction.”
The letter was part of a filing Thursday by McCsee’s attorney, Benjamin Zeman. The attorney is requesting that Mackie be sentenced to time, or about a year and a half. The court’s probation office recommended a 10-year sentence.
In his letter, Simon says that Williams had always taken responsibility for his drug use and opposed the mass incarceration resulting from the so-called war on drugs. Simon says he is sure Williams “would like me to write this letter.”
In a career-building performance, Williams stars as terror-inducing criminal Omar Little in HBO’s Wire, which ended a five-season run in 2008. According to Simon, Williams accepted his addiction during the show’s third season, agreeing to allow a crew member to serve as a constant companion “to ensure some distance between the mic and the temptation”. .
Simon writes, Williams was one of the finest actors I have had the honor to collaborate with and one of the most thoughtful, kind and altruistic souls I could ever call a friend. … I never fail to see him taking responsibility for himself and his decisions.
Massey’s sentencing – the first of four defendants – is scheduled for this month.