United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW YORK - Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that James Rosemond, a/k/a “Jimmy the Henchman,” was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to life plus 20 years in prison for offenses arising from his role in ordering a crew of men to murder Lowell Fletcher, an associate of the rap group known as “G-Unit,” in retaliation for an assault on Rosemond’s son by Fletcher and other G-Unit associates. Rosemond was found guilty of all the counts against him in the indictment, which charged him with committing murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and two firearms offenses, following a jury trial in December 2014 before United States District Judge Colleen McMahon. 

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said:  “James Rosemond had Lowell Fletcher murdered, and after the deed, Rosemond bragged to a criminal associate that he would never be caught for the murder because Fletcher was merely a ‘gangbanger’ who died in the Bronx.  This prosecution has proven Rosemond wrong.  The sentence imposed on Rosemond today demonstrates that murdering anyone, anywhere in the Southern District of New York, will not be tolerated.”

According to court papers, including the Government’s sentencing memorandum, and the evidence admitted at trial:

 James Rosemond was the head of Czar Entertainment, a rap music management company, and also the head of a large-scale cocaine trafficking organization.  In 2007, members and associates of a rival rap group known as “G-Unit” - including Marvin Bernard, a/k/a “Tony Yayo,” and his associate Lowell Fletcher, a/k/a “Lodi Mac” - assaulted Rosemond’s son.   Rosemond’s son was not seriously injured in the assault, and Fletcher ended up serving prison time for his involvement in the assault.  Nevertheless, Rosemond recruited a crew of men to murder Fletcher upon his release from prison - men with whom Rosemond had developed criminal relationships through his involvement in the cocaine trade - by promising at least $30,000 in payment for killing Fletcher.  At Rosemond’s direction, members of the murder crew selected a dark and quiet location for the murder in the vicinity of Mount Eden and Jerome Avenues in the Bronx, and lured Fletcher to that spot.  When Fletcher arrived there in the evening on September 27, 2009, a member of the murder crew stepped out of the shadows and fired five bullets into Fletcher’s back using a .22 caliber handgun with a silencer.  Fletcher died later that night.  On October 2, 2009, Rosemond had a trusted employee of his cocaine organization provide a kilogram of cocaine - worth about $30,000 in street value - as payment for the murder.    

In imposing today’s sentence, Judge McMahon said that Rosemond’s criminal conduct was “heinous,” “vile,” and “disgusting.”

U.S. Attorney Bharara thanked and praised the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their outstanding work in this investigation. 

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurie Korenbaum, Nola Heller, Samson Enzer, and Thomas McKay are in charge of the prosecution.