Dennis RomeroJames Rosemond, the rap manager one L.A. journalist says was behind an attack that sparked the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop wars of the 1990s, was convicted today in a case that accused him of running a New York-to-L.A. cocaine ring, a courtroom observer told the Weekly.
Rosemond, who goes by the a.k.a. Jimmy Henchman and who once managed Compton rapper the Game, was accused of running millions in coke, laundering money and tampering with witnesses.
It was a federal case brought to court in New York:
Rosemond was convicted on all counts, we were told.
His lawyer maintained his client's innocence, and Rosemond has steadfastly denied any involvement in the 1994 injury attack on Tupac Shakur outside a New York recording studio, which some say started the East Coast-West Coast feud that ended with the homicides of Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
Irony? The case against Rosemond hinged, in part, on snitches who turned against Rosemond, even as he was one of the leaders of rap's “no snitches” movement.
From our previous reporting on the case:
DEA and IRS agents believe the 46-year-old shipped cocaine from L.A. to New York via FedEx and UPS and then sent mustard-covered cash — to throw contraband-sniffing canines off — back to L.A.
Feds called Rosemond the “principal leader” of the organization and say he had his hand in the distribution of hundreds of kilos since 2008.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.