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Ronald "Ra Diggs" Herron, 33, was sentenced to 12 terms of
life in prison plus 105 years by U.S. District Judge Nicholas
Garaufis in Brooklyn, New York.
The sentencing came after a jury in June 2014 found Herron
guilty of all 23 charges against him, from racketeering to drug
trafficking to gang-related killings between 2001 and 2009.
Prosecutors at the trial used Herron's "gangsta rap" videos - in
which he boasts about belonging to the infamous Bloods street
gang, firing weapons and dealing drugs - to argue the lyrics
documented his crimes.
Herron's lawyers argued that the lyrics were not
autobiographical, but were commentary on crime, violence and
drug wars in the inner city.
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch in a statement Thursday
said the life sentence would put an end to the "brutal,
unrelenting violence" that Herron unleashed.
"Herron styled himself a rap artist, but the evidence proved
that he was a murderous thug who sought power through violence,
fear and intimidation," she said.
A lawyer for Herron did not respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Ken Wills)
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