Bloods Leader Also Trafficked Drugs
The leader of a sect of the Bloods street gang in Brooklyn has been indicted in federal court on various crimes including three counts of murder, it was announced.
Federal law enforcement sources said that 30-year-old Ronald Herron, also known as “Ra,” “Ra Diggs,” “Ra Digga” and “Raheem,” was charged in the indictment 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.
He was arraigned on Monday, Feb. 13, before United States Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn. If convicted, Herron faces up to life behind bars.
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 of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.
As detailed in the 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 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 on Monday 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 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 selfdesignation, ‘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 Fedarcyk.
“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,” Kelly added.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carter Burwell, Shreve Ariail, and David Sarratt.
It was noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
