Leader of Bloods Street Gang Indicted for Racketeering, Including Three Murders and Three Attempted Murders
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 13, 2012 |
A superseding indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Ronald Herron, also known as “Ra,” “Ra Diggs,” “Ra Digga” and “Raheem,” with various crimes, including three counts of murder, related to his leadership of a set of the Bloods Street Gang. The superseding indictment charges the defendant with 23 counts, including racketeering, murder, murder in-aid-of racketeering, murder conspiracy, attempted murder, robbery, illegal use and possession of firearms, and narcotics trafficking.1 The defendant will be arraigned later this afternoon before United States Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. If convicted, the defendant faces up to life imprisonment.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.
As detailed in the superseding indictment and other court filings submitted by the government, a multi-year joint investigation by the FBI and the NYPD revealed that since 1998, Herron allegedly committed numerous crimes of violence in support of his criminal enterprise in and around the Gowanus Houses, a New York City public housing community in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. Among other things, Herron is now charged with the 2001 drugrelated murder of Frederick Brooks, an offense of which Herron was acquitted in state court after witnesses refused to testify because they were threatened by Herron and his associates. Herron has also been charged with the 2008 murder of Richard Russo and the 2009 murder of Victor Zapata. In addition, Herron is accused of three attempted murders, including a 2008 stabbing at a nightclub in Manhattan.
As detailed in prior filings by the government, Herron posted videos of himself on the Internet in which he identified himself as the leader of the “Murderous Mad Dogs” set of the Bloods Street Gang, and claimed that he was the leader of a “murder team” and had previously “beat a body.” The videos also showed Herron firing weapons and threatening to use them to kill people. Herron also posted messages on Twitter in which he boasted that he had “beat the stabbing,” “beat the attempt,” and “beat the body.”
The charges announced today are the latest in a series of federal indictments in this district charging members of violent street gangs with racketeering crimes.
“As alleged, Ronald Herron and his gang terrorized a Brooklyn community for more than a decade, and he temporarily got away with murder by threatening and intimidating witnesses, only to return to the streets of Brooklyn to kill again and again,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “Thanks to the hard work and close cooperation between federal and local law enforcement, the defendant will now be held to account for his charged long history of violence. Our commitment to dismantling street gangs and to protecting our community from the ravages of gang warfare remains steadfast.”
“Ronald Herron and his associates were nothing if not honest in their assessment of themselves. As alleged in the indictment, the self-designation, ‘Murderous Mad Dogs,’ seems to be no understatement. Calling yourself murderous may not be a crime, but the description is fitting. The FBI is committed to reining in gang violence to make our neighborhoods safer.” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk.
NYPD Commissioner Kelly stated, “As alleged, Ronald Herron and his gang have a history of violence, intimidation and murder in the neighborhood around the Gowanus Houses in Brooklyn, and Herron even boasted on twitter about getting away with his crimes. His tweets were premature. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as NYPD detectives and federal agents, for their work in this case.”
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carter Burwell, Shreve Ariail, and David Sarratt.
The Defendants:
RONALD HERRON, also known as “Ra,” “Ra Diggs,” “Ra Digga ” and “Raheem ” Age: 30
1 The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.