Earlier today in Brooklyn, Jerome Jones, also known as "Sha," was sentenced to 30 years in prison by United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. The sentence comes after Jones pleaded guilty in August 2024 for his involvement in the murders of Oscar Flow in 1991 and Robert Arroyo and Dorothy Taylor in 1992. These crimes were linked to his narcotics trafficking activities.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, along with Leslie R. Backschies from the FBI's New York Field Office and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner of the NYPD, announced the sentencing.
"Jones now faces decades in prison for his role in a violent drug organization and for several vicious killings committed within less than one year," stated United States Attorney Durham. He emphasized that this case serves as a reminder that justice will be pursued regardless of how much time has passed.
Durham expressed gratitude towards the FBI and NYPD for their investigative efforts and acknowledged assistance from the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Jones held a high-ranking position within "Black Rain," a drug trafficking group based in Queens during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This organization sold various drugs under different street names: heroin as "Black Rain," cocaine as "White Lightning," and crack as "Thunder." At its peak, a single Black Rain location could generate over $10,000 daily through drug sales. Violence was employed by Black Rain members to protect their operations, including committing murders.
In December 1991, Jones murdered Oscar Flow after discovering that Flow had stolen from one of Black Rain’s drug locations. In September 1992, Robert Arroyo was killed by co-conspirators hired by Jones due to suspicions that Arroyo was both a competitor and an informant. Later that year, Dorothy Taylor was murdered because she failed to prevent law enforcement from shutting down a Black Rain site.
The prosecution is being managed by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section with Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar, Emily J. Dean, Lindsey R. Oken, and Raffaela S. Belizaire leading the case with support from Paralegal Specialist Theodore Rader.
Jerome Jones is currently aged 60 and resides in West Virginia.
