Bronx gang member sentenced to life plus 20 years for Manhattan murder and other crimes

New York – A Bronx man convicted of killing Milton Grant during a robbery outside a Manhattan nightclub has been sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Ramon Rodriguez, 22, also known as “Pollo,” received the sentence for the June 2021 murder, the attempted murder of Grant’s friend, and related racketeering and firearms offenses.

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff imposed the sentence after presiding over Rodriguez’s two-week jury trial. The jury convicted Rodriguez on February 20, 2026. In a separate case, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to participating in an assault that seriously injured another inmate while he was detained in Brooklyn.

“Today’s sentence holds Ramon Rodriguez accountable for these heinous crimes and reaffirms the commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners to protecting the public from those who demonstrate such callous disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald.

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According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rodriguez belonged to the Trinitarios and was an associate of the Shooting Boys, a Trinitarios set operating primarily in the Bronx and Manhattan, from at least 2018 through 2025. Prosecutors said members and associates of the group carried out murders, attempted murders, robberies, drug trafficking, fraud and retaliation against witnesses.

The evidence included two nightclub robberies committed eight days apart in June 2021. During the first, on June 13, Rodriguez and members of the Shooting Boys robbed someone outside a Bronx nightclub. Rodriguez shot a man in the leg during that robbery, causing significant injuries.

On June 21, Rodriguez and other members of the group carried out another robbery outside a Manhattan nightclub. They targeted Grant for his watch. During the robbery, Rodriguez shot Grant in the head, killing him, and then took the watch from his body. Rodriguez also fired at Grant’s friend as the man ran away, attempting to kill him.

“Rodriguez decided that a watch was worth more than Milton Grant’s life, murdering him to steal it and then trying to kill Grant’s friend as he fled. Even behind bars, Rodriguez remained undeterred in his willingness to resort to violence, joining fellow gang members in a vicious assault on another inmate.”

McDonald’s statement addressed both the fatal robbery and Rodriguez’s conduct after his arrest. According to the prosecution, Rodriguez continued participating in the Shooting Boys while held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His activities in detention included repeatedly possessing weapons.

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On December 3, 2023, Rodriguez joined other Shooting Boys members and associates in an attack on a fellow inmate. The group suspected the inmate was cooperating with law enforcement. Prosecutors said the attackers ambushed, stabbed and slashed the man, leaving him seriously injured. That assault formed the basis of the separate case in which Rodriguez pleaded guilty.

For the prison assault, Rakoff imposed a 10-year sentence that will run concurrently with the sentence for the murder and related offenses. The concurrent term will run at the same time, rather than being added to the life sentence plus 20 years. Rodriguez was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

McDonald credited the New York City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for their investigative work. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement outlined the trial evidence, the separate guilty plea and the penalties imposed in both cases.

The office’s Violent Organizations and Crime Unit is handling the prosecutions. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile, James Ligtenberg, Frank Balsamello, Brandon D. Harper and William Stone are responsible for the cases, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists William Coleman and Sandy Alcantara.