Two involved in death of L.I. woman arrested on drug charges

Eight months after a Long Island dermatologist was found dead in a Chelsea building’s vestibule, the federal authorities have charged two men who allegedly put her body there after giving her drugs that led to a fatal overdose.

They were expected to be arraigned in Manhattan federal court Wednesday on charges of narcotics distribution, narcotics conspiracy and accessory after the fact.

Although Cerveny was not named, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce confirmed that the charges stemmed from an investigation of the death of Cerveny, 38, who was found unconscious and unresponsive on October 4, 2015, in the lobby of a building on West 16th Street. The complaint says that Cerveny, a married woman with two children, had ingested cocaine before meeting with Johnson and Holder that night. The Long Island dermatologist was found dead in the lobby of Holder’s apartment building in Manhattan on October 4.

Johnson and the dealer, ex-con James Holder, were arrested late Tuesday by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and the NYPD.

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A NYPD detective carries an evidence bag away from the building where Cerveny was found dead a year ago. At some point, Cerveny became incapacitated and was carried back down the stairs by the two men, who placed her in the lobby of the building. An autopsy later found that C erveny died from acute cocaine and alcohol intoxication.

At the time, police sources told CBS New York that Cerveny, a married mother of three, was originally out with friends, one of whom told investigators the dermatologist was doing drugs and drinking.

News reports at the time said Cerveny had been seen with Johnson, identified as a friend and an Emmy-nominated HBO producer. They said the TV producer called 911, but both left before police arrived. He said the men “dragged” the woman downstairs from Holder’s third-floor walk-up apartment. She graduated from Washington Township High School in Gloucester County, where she was valedictorian of her 1995 graduating class.

In a Facebook post a year ago, The Distinguished Young Women program – the new name for the Junior Miss contest – said Cerveny “was a stunning and intelligent young woman, destined for greatness even before she captivated the hearts of America in Mobile, Ala”. After graduating, she earned her medical degree from Tulane.