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Staten Island Gang Leader Sentenced to Life for Murder, Racketeering

By William Mathis | July 22, 2016 7:08pm | Updated on July 25, 2016 8:35am

NEW YORK CITY — A Staten Island man was sentenced Friday in Brooklyn Federal Court to life in prison for a litany of crimes, including the murders of two men, related to an illegal drug dealing enterprise in the Park Hill Apartments.

Anthony "Nitty" Christain, 43, was convicted in 2011 on charges that included racketeering, narcotics distribution and murder.

Christian helped lead a gang that sold drugs — including crack cocaine and marijuana — in the Clifton neighborhood from 1991-2011, according to prosecutors.

To maintain territory and gain new ground, Christian fought bloody battles with rival gangs, sometimes for months, according to the federal prosecutor, Robert L. Capers. 

Christian also ordered the murders of Corey Brooker, who was a rival drug dealer, and Brooker's associate Jerome Estella.

During the investigation, there was a report that the orders to murder the two men actually came from Wu-Tang Clan members Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (RZA) and Corey Woods (Raekwon), but the famed hip-hop artists were not charged in the case.

Christian's brother, Harvey "Black" Christian, was also convicted in the case and is awaiting sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years in prison for his involvement in the criminal enterprise.