HBO Producer Admits To Moving Kiersten Cerveny's Body In Chelsea

CHELSEA, NY — A Manhattan man has admitted to helping move Dr. Kiersten Cerveny's body after the woman overdosed on cocaine in a Chelsea apartment, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The Long Island dermatologist died in October 2015 after a night of partying in Manhattan with Marc Johnson and others. Johnson, a producer for the HBO show "The Deuce," pleaded guilty to one charge related to her death on Wednesday, federal prosecutors said.

Johnson and Cerveny met at Manhattan bar on Oct. 3 before joining Johnson's regular cocaine dealer James Holder at his Chelsea apartment, according to a statement from the local U.S. attorney's office. Hours after they arrived at the apartment, Johnson helped his co-defendant Holder drag Cerveny's unconscious body from Holder's third-floor apartment to the building's first-floor vestibule. Authorities said Holder left the building and that Johnson called 911, but refused to give his name, identify Cerveny, or tell the operator why she needed assistance. Paramedics took Cerveny to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The city's medical examiner said she died from acute cocaine and alcohol intoxication. The death was ruled an accident.

"Marc Henry Johnson’s immediate response to seeing a dying overdose victim should have been to summon help. Instead, Johnson helped his cocaine dealer cover up the drug crime by moving the victim’s body," said acting U.S. Attorney for New York's southern district Joon Kim. "In this time of a growing overdose epidemic, today’s guilty plea should serve as a reminder that the proper response to a potential drug overdose is to immediately call 911, not to delay to help cover for the drug dealer."

Johnson pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of acting as an accessory after the fact to the offense of maintaining a drug-involved premises. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June. Johnson's co-defendant Holder already pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises in December. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.

Lead image via Patch.