An HBO producer and an ex-con have been arrested on federal cocaine distribution charges in the death of Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny.
NEW YORK, NY -- The two men who were allegedly partying with a dermatologist and former New Jersey beauty queen in the hours before her overdose death have been arrested on drug charges stemming from the incident, according to reports.
Kiersten Cerveny Kiersten Rickenbach Cerveny, 38, was found unconscious in the vestibule of a Manhattan apartment building in October of last year. Emergency personnel attempted to revive her and she was brought to a local hospital, but was pronounced dead there shortly after she was found. A medical examiner ruled her death was caused by "acute cocaine and alcohol intoxication."
Witnesses had seen her being carried down the stairs of the apartment by two men, who were later identified as HBO producer Marc Henry Johnson, 51, and James "Pepsi" Holder, 60 -- who previously spent time in prison for weapons and drugs charges.
Both men were arrested Tuesday by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and the New York Police Department for distribution of cocaine, The New York Post reports.
They were taken into custody on a federal warrant, according to Philly.com.
Cerveny, a married, mother of three, lived in Long Island but grew up in South Jersey. She graduated from Washington Township High School in Gloucester County, where she was valedictorian of her 1995 graduating class.
That same year she was crowned America's Junior Miss. She went on to study at Duke and Tulane Universities and become a dermatologist practicing in Long Island.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand.Find NJ.com on Facebook.