Ricky Donnell Ross

Ricky Donnell Ross

"Freeway" Rick Ross

Ricky Donnell Ross (born May 3, 1960), also known as "Freeway" Rick Ross, is an American convicted drug trafficker best known for the "drug empire" that he presided over in Los Angeles, California, in the early to mid 1980s.

- Ross attended high school at Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. He played for the tennis team, but was unable to secure a college scholarship due to his illiteracy.[3]

The nickname "Freeway" came from Ross' ownership of several properties along the Los Angeles-area Harbor Freeway as well as the existence of a freeway near his childhood home.[4] According to Esquire Magazine October 2013 Issue - Say Hello to Rick Ross: “Between 1982 and 1989, federal prosecutors estimated, Ross bought and resold several metric tons of cocaine. In 1980 dollars, his gross earnings were said to be in excess of $900 million – with a profit of nearly $300 million. Converted roughly to present-day dollars: 2.5 billion gross, and $850 million in profit, respectively.” [5] During the height of his drug dealing, Ross claims to have sold "$3 million in one day."[6] According to the Oakland Tribune, "In the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and made more than $600 million in the process between 1983 and 1984."[7]

In 1996, Ross was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to purchase more than 100 kilograms of cocaine from a federal agent. Later that year, a series of articles by journalist Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury News brought to light a connection between one of Ross's cocaine sources, Danilo Blandon, and the CIA as part of the Iran-Contra scandal.[8] The decision in Ross's case was brought to a federal court of appeals where his sentence was reduced to 20 years. His sentence was then reduced further due to being a model prisoner, and he was moved to a halfway house in California in March 2009. Ross was released from prison on September 29, 2009.

- It was through a friend that Ross was introduced to a connection to purchase cheap Nicaraguan cocaine: two Nicaraguan exiles, Oscar Danilo Blandon and Norwin Meneses Cantarero. Ross began distributing cocaine around US$10,000 less per kilo than the average street price, his point of distribution being the Bloods and Crips street gangs. Eventually, Ross purchased his cocaine directly from Blandón and Meneses. By 1982, Ross had received his moniker of "Freeway Ricky," and is claimed to have been selling up to US$3 million worth of cocaine per day—and purchasing 455 kilos of cocaine a week.

- With thousands of employees, Ross claimed he operated drug sales not only in Los Angeles but in places across the country including St. Louis, New Orleans, Texas, Kansas City, Oklahoma, Indiana, Cincinnati, North Carolina, South Carolina, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Seattle. He has said that his most lucrative sales came from the Ohio area. He made similar claims in a 1996 PBS interview.[10] According to the Oakland Tribune, "In the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and made more than $600 million in the process."[7] Adjusting for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, that is more than a billion dollars.[11]

According to Esquire Magazine October 2013 Issue - Say Hello to Rick Ross: “Between 1982 and 1989, federal prosecutors estimated, Ross bought and resold several metric tons of cocaine. In 1980 dollars, his gross earnings were said to be in excess of $900 million – with a profit of nearly $300 million. Converted roughly to present-day dollars: 2.5 billion gross, and $850 million in profit, respectively. As his distribution empire grew to include forty-two cities, the price he paid per kilo of powder cocaine dropped from as much as $60,000 to as low as $10,000. ”

- Ross's capture was facilitated by his career-long dealer Oscar Danilo Blandon, who "set up" Ross. Blandón had close ties with the Contras, and had met with Contra leader Enrique Bermúdez on several occasions. Blandón was the link between the CIA and Contras during the Iran-Contra affair. Gary Webb interviewed Ross several times before breaking the story in 1996. Ross claims that the reason he was unfairly tried initially was because of his involvement in the scandal. Blandón received a 24-month sentence for his drug trafficking charges, and following his release, was hired by the Drug Enforcement Administration where he was salaried at US$42,000. Blandón was not a U.S. citizen/national, and is the only known foreigner not to be deported following conviction on drug trafficking charges in U.S. history.[citation needed] The INS was ordered to grant Blandón a green card, despite the criminal convictions, to allow him to work for the DEA. The DEA has claimed they no longer employ Blandón, and his whereabouts are unknown.

- On June 18, 2010, Ross sued rapper Rick Ross (real name William L. Roberts) for using his name.[13] Freeway Ricky Ross filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Ross in a California Federal Court.[13] Jay-Z had been called to testify in the lawsuit, as he was CEO of Def Jam when Ross was signed to the label.[13] The reformed drug kingpin was looking for $10 million in compensation in the lawsuit.[13]

Also, the release of rapper Rick Ross' album, Teflon Don, was threatened to be blocked by Freeway Ricky Ross. A week after the lawsuit was filed, the rapper responded to the charges: "It’s like owning a restaurant; you’re gonna have a few slip and falls. You get lawsuits, you deal with them, and get them out of your way ... sometimes you lose."[14] He then denied rumors that he would change his name to "Ricky Rozay" as a consequence of the lawsuit.

After the lawsuit was dismissed on July 3, 2010,[15] the album Teflon Don was released as scheduled on July 20, 2010. A federal judge ruled that the case should be refiled in California state court because it fell under California state law. Ross refiled the case with the State of California and the federal case is on appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[16] The federal case was appealed to higher court, state case was filed in 2011 in California.

Since then, Freeway Rick Ross has refiled in Los Angeles superior court with several publicity rights claims. Depositions have been ongoing. Trial was set for early May 2012. The case has been since dismissed by a judge in the Los Angeles superior court.[17]

The California State case was updated with a motion in Freeway Rick Ross' favor as to Warner Brothers Records and their use of the name and image Rick Ross in July 2012.[18]

New York Post reported a trial was set for Los Angeles Superior Court August 27, 2013 of Freeway Rick Ross against Rick Ross & Warner Music Group.[

- Ross was a key figure in filmmaker Kevin Booth's documentary, American Drug War: The Last White Hope. The second episode of the first season of BET's American Gangster documentary series was focused on the story of Ricky Ross and his connection to the Iran-Contra scandal.[12] While in Texarkana prison, Ricky Ross became the first federal inmate to create a social networking website.[20] Ross is played by actor Glenn Plummer in the film, 100 Kilos.[21] Ross was recently featured in VH1's critically acclaimed Planet Rock History of Crack and Hip Hop Documentary. The documentary was a look into the interconnection between top hip hop talents such as Jay Z, Snoop and Wu Tang and the growth of the Crack Epidemic. Freeway Rick Ross was an integral part of the show, along with the prior listed talents.[22] Ross is featured in the 2013 documentary How To Make Money Selling Drugs, which details the various levels of the drug trade as well as law enforcement's involvement.

Ross was featured in a multipage article detailing his rise, fall and redemption in the 80th Anniversary Esquire Magazine. Title "Say Hello to Rick Ross" - "Crack was just turning up in the United States. The contras were seeking funds to support their civil war in Nicaragua. And an L. A. kid was looking for an opportunity. The combination would change America." [5]

Rapper Jay-Z references his story in the song Blue Magic from the American Gangster soundtrack. "Can't you tell that I came from the dope game, Blame Reagan for makin' me into a monster,...Blame Oliver North and Iran-contra/ I ran contraband that they sponsored." Blue Magic American Gangster (film) Soundtrack

In the song "My Favorite Mutiny" by The Coup, rapper Boots claims the Central Intelligence Agency directed Ross to distribute crack: "before the CIA told Ricky Ross to put crack in the sack."[23] The song "Mathematics" by Mos Def contains a reference to the link between Ross and the CIA: "Nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black/ That's why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack."[24] In the Murs song "The Science" (from his 2008 release Murs for President) the rapper says "...and they gave us dope (Crack)/From the CIA by the way of Nicaragua/Shipped to Rick Ross/He's the Black Godfather." He continues to rap about conspiracies surrounding the CIA's dealings with Ross throughout the song.

Ross has been a semi-regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience. Last radio appearance occurred on 2/7/2013.