- Student Juliana Luchkiw pleads not guilty to misdemeanor charge
- Max Rosenblum, 22, was to appear in court later Thursday
- Determination of cause and manner of actor’s death is pending further study
- Police source: Apartments where four arrests made are part of probe into death
New York (CNN) — A 22-year-old fine arts student arrested in connection with the drugs found in actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s apartment was released on her own recognizance Thursday.
Juliana Luchkiw was among four people arrested in a raid Tuesday night in which police recovered 350 small plastic bags of what is believed to be heroin, law enforcement officials told CNN. The bags of alleged heroin were branded “black list” and “red bull” — not the same brands found in Hoffman’s apartment, the officials said.
A police source said the Manhattan apartments where the four were picked up are part of the investigation into Hoffman’s death.
The four under investigation in connection with drugs sold to Academy Award-winning actor were identified as Luchkiw; Max Rosenblum, 22; Robert Vineberg, 57; and Thomas Cushman, 48.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office Wednesday declined to prosecute Cushman because there was no evidence he had any control over the drugs.
Luchkiw, who pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance, appeared Thursday before Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Edward McLaughlin on Thursday.
Luchkiw’s attorney, Stephen Turano, told the court his client has no criminal record. He said her father, who was present in court, is a lawyer and her mother a doctor.
The prosecution asked for Luchkiw’s bail to be set at $ 1,500, but McLaughlin ordered her released on her own recognizance, saying it was a misdemeanor case and it was “illogical” to assume she would fail show for her February 14 court date.
Luchkiw walked out of court with her father.
Attorney: ‘Wrong place at (the) wrong time’
Rosenblum was to appear in court later Thursday. His attorney, Daniel Hochheiser, said his client had an outstanding warrant for a 2010 misdemeanor drug charge but that the warrant was vacated.
Vineberg, who faces a felony charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance, is set to appear in court February 14.
Vineberg was found to have the actor’s phone number stored in his cell phone, a law enforcement official told CNN. Police discovered the largest amount of what is believed to be heroin in his apartment, the source said.
A former neighbor described Vineberg as a talented musician who used the stage name Robert Aaron and once toured with Wyclef Jean. Vineberg had a wife and daughter, said the neighbor, who lived in the building years ago.
“He used to practice at night,” said the ex-neighbor, recalling that Vineberg played keyboards. “Honestly, he seemed like a nice guy, always playing music. Nothing sinister.”
Vineberg’s attorney, Edward Kratt, said he hopes prosecutors will not use his client as a scapegoat.
“These charges have absolutely nothing to do with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s unfortunate death,” Kratt said.
Turano, Luchkiw’s attorney, similarly said his client had no connection to Hoffman, other than seeing his movies, and that Luchkiw was simply in the “wrong place at (the) wrong time.”
A spokeswoman for the New York medical examiner’s office said Wednesday a determination of the cause and manner of Hoffman’s death is pending further study, including toxicology reports.
When police were called to Hoffman’s fourth-floor Manhattan apartment Sunday, they found the actor lying on the bathroom floor with a syringe in his left arm. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, his eyeglasses still resting on his head, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the inquiry.
Investigators discovered close to 50 envelopes of what they believed was heroin in the apartment, the law enforcement sources said. They also found used syringes, prescription drugs and empty plastic bags of a type commonly used to hold drugs, the sources said.
Also found in Hoffman’s apartment was his personal journal, resting on a living room TV stand, two law enforcement sources said.
Incoming Search Terms:
Woman bailed in Hoffman case
bailed, case, Hoffman, Woman
