# RAW TRANSCRIPT REWRITE - NY HOOD JOURNALISTIC STYLE

Yo, when you get in the game, everybody already knows what time it is. Cats want the shine, the cameras, all that glitz, but nobody's stupid out here. We all know the only promises this life got is a cell or a casket. Rod Diggs was that type of dude who understood exactly what the streets bring to your doorstep. If he was playing, he knew damn well what could circle back. When that Eulogy track dropped, nobody could've predicted the insane accusations that would eventually land on Ronald Herron, known to the streets as Rod Diggs. The man's history reads like some next-level crime novel type situation. Get this. Rod Diggs allegedly had one of his shooters go full undercover. We're talking wig, lipstick, full face makeup, the entire disguise just to get within striking distance of a mark he wanted erased. His mans even said Rod Diggs himself rocked this getup to execute hits on some personal business. But that's just scratching the surface. This cat's criminal record was so extensive he ended up catching three life bids, plus another 105 years stacked on top. They shipped him off to ADX Florence, that notorious Supermax joint, the Alcatraz of the Rockies. If you ain't familiar with ADX, it's where they warehouse the most vicious criminals, terrorists, cartel kingpins, gang chiefs. It's a facility so brutal they say death would be an easier escape. Former wardens and convicts from ADX describe living there like being deceased while your heart's still beating. It's total solitary confinement. And for Rod Diggs, this is where he's doing his time, completely disconnected from the blocks he once controlled. But how did Rod Diggs, also known as Ronald Herring, reach this point? Let's rewind. Born in 1982, he grew up in the rough Gawanas projects of Brooklyn. A neighborhood that's transformed a lot with gentrification, but back in his era was as grimy as they come. During that period, the Gawanas projects were a completely different beast. Crime, violence, and struggle surrounded everything. And young Rod Diggs got swept up early. Like countless others, he found himself embracing the streets, eventually linking up with the Bloods. His teenage years were basically a continuous cycle of correctional institutions, laying the foundation for the hardcore reputation he would establish later. Things got really dark in September 1998 when a shooting in nearby Wyckoff Gardens resulted in an innocent bystander getting killed. Just two years after, on October 7th, 2000, Rod Diggs himself got shot, hit in the leg during a conflict over a drug debt. But Rod wasn't the type to let that situation slide. While still recovering in King's County Hospital, he coordinated and had his cousins strike back, ordering a hit on the individual who shot him. That move cemented his position in the streets and he even bragged about it in a track with Uncle Murda, dropping some incriminating lines on Slow Down that basically implicated him. But the game kept escalating. In 2001, Rod Diggs caught a murder charge, allegedly shooting down Frederick Brooks, a rival dealer, on June 16th, 2001. The scene was vicious. Brooks got hit multiple times in the face, neck, back, and head in the lobby of 198 Bond Street. It was a brutal execution, leaving Brooks bleeding out on the floor. Rod Diggs and his Bloods crew attempted to dispose of the murder weapon, but the feds were already tracking him. And it wasn't long before they caught up with him. By July 2001, Rod Diggs was locked up and facing trial in New York State Criminal Court for the murder of Frederick Brooks. The prosecution relied on two key witnesses. Let's call them Witness A and Witness B. Both had provided recorded statements to the assistant district attorney identifying Rod Diggs as the shooter. They even selected him from a police lineup. But when it came time to testify in court, things took a wild turn. Both witnesses recanted, claiming that Rod Diggs and his crew had intimidated them. But that wasn't everything. Witness C testified that he observed Rod Diggs and Brooks arguing before following them into the lobby. He stated he watched Rod Diggs push Brooks against the mailboxes, pull out a silver gun, and shoot him. But even Witness C understood what cooperating against Rod Diggs meant. He lied about his own involvement in the crime to protect himself. Then there was Witness D, who also witnessed the hit but refused to identify Rod Diggs in court, too terrified for his life. The level of fear and power Rod Diggs commanded in his community was genuine. And it worked. He got acquitted, later boasting about beating the murder case, like it was just another victory on his record. But this wasn't the conclusion of Rod Diggs' encounters with the law. Throughout the early 2000s, he kept building his influence, expanding his Blood set, known as the Murderous Mad Dogs, using 423 Baltic Street in Brooklyn as his headquarters. Rod Diggs was deep in the game, drug dealing, extortion, robbery, and murder. Even when Rod Diggs got briefly incarcerated on drug charges, he still maintained control of his operation from behind bars, never losing his grip on the streets. By the time he was released in July 2007, Rod Diggs wasn't slowing down. He was planning bigger moves to expand his empire. But the streets never stayed peaceful for too long. In 07, a local dealer referred to in court as John Doe was moving product in the same project Rod Diggs controlled. Competition wasn't something Rod Diggs tolerated. He ordered two of his soldiers to rob John Doe, catching him in a building lobby. Even though one of John Doe's friends tried to intervene, it wasn't sufficient. One of Rod Diggs' men pulled a weapon while the other emptied Doe's pockets, walking away with approximately $600 to $700 in cash. After the robbery, Rod Diggs wasn't finished sending his message. He confronted John Doe on the 12th floor, giving him a stern warning. Either stop moving product in his territory or face the consequences. Intimidated, John Doe stayed away for a few months, but eventually, he returned to the block. This time though, he wasn't reckless. He approached Rod Diggs for permission to continue selling. Rod granted it, but on one condition. John Doe had to purchase product directly from him. As time progressed, John Doe became a trusted figure within Rod Diggs' operation, even supervising deliveries from suppliers and handling the distribution to street dealers. By early May 2008, the tension for Rod Diggs reached a new peak when Richard Russo made some disrespectful comments. Russo was hanging in the lobby of 423 Baltic Street with Rod's crew while they were actively selling. Feeling reckless, Russo started questioning Rod's authority in Gawanas and even threatened him. It wasn't long before that mistake caught up with him. Just a few days later, on May 9, 2008, Rod Diggs decided to handle things personally. He approached Russo in that same lobby and told him to get in the elevator. Once inside, Rod Diggs pulled out a weapon and killed him. To ensure nobody talked, Rod handed out cash to one of his soldiers, making sure they kept their mouth shut and properly disposed of the weapon. But Richard Russo wasn't the only one on Rod Diggs' hit list. Another target, Kendall Robinson, also known as Smurf, had been causing problems around the block where Rod Diggs was running his operation. Robinson was involved in several violent incidents that interfered with Rod's money, and Rod wasn't about to let that go unchecked. On September 13, 2008, Rod Diggs put the plan into action. One of his shooters tracked down Robinson and shot him outside 185 Nevins Street with a 40 caliber weapon. Though Robinson survived the attack, the message was loud and clear. Rod wasn't playing around. Even though Rod Diggs wasn't physically present for the shooting, his crew was always ready to handle his business, ensuring the job was completed. To give you a sense of the type of people Rod Diggs was dealing with, Kendall Robinson, just 21 years old, would later be sentenced to life without parole in 2013 for the cold-blooded murder of Altia Cargill, a 16-year-old girl. Her crime? She had pressed assault charges against one of Robinson's associates and refused to drop them, even after he got locked up. In retaliation, Kendall Robinson sought out Altia Cargill, shooting her three times as she tried to escape. That's the caliber of ruthlessness Rod Diggs was cultivating around him. By 2008 and 2009, the feds had seen enough. They'd been building their case methodically, connecting dots, flipping witnesses, gathering evidence. Operation finally went into full swing and arrests started dropping like dominoes. Rod Diggs, along with numerous members of his Murderous Mad Dogs crew, got indicted on a massive RICO enterprise charge. The prosecution had lined up cooperators who were ready to testify about the killings, the robberies, the extortion, the drug distribution. When Rod faced trial, there was no acquittal this time. The evidence was overwhelming, the witnesses credible, and the jury made their decision swift. Three consecutive life sentences plus 105 additional years. That was the price for his reign of terror. Now Rod Diggs sits in ADX Florence, locked in a cell roughly 7 by 12 feet, with minimal human contact, no access to general population, and essentially no future beyond those concrete walls. The man who once commanded entire blocks, who ordered hits from prison, who inspired fear throughout Brooklyn's projects, now exists in complete isolation, removed from the very streets that made him. That's the legacy of Rod Diggs and the NY Goons 7 operation. It's a cautionary tale wrapped in street credibility, a reminder that no matter how untouchable you think you are, no matter how many bodies you rack up or how much money you move, the system eventually catches up. The streets always collect their due, and whether it's a cell at ADX Florence or a grave six feet under, the game's only guarantee remains the same. Rod Diggs' story is the ultimate proof that when you embrace the darkness completely, the darkness becomes your eternal home. And that's the reality that echoes through every hood from Brooklyn to the Bronx, a lesson written in blood and served in life sentences that stretch into infinity.