Kay Flock, the Bronx drill rapper whose legal name is Kevin Perez, received a jail sentence of 30 years in federal prison on December 16, 2025, for gang-related shootings committed as the leader of the Sev Side/DOA street gang.1United States Department of Justice. Bronx Street Gang Leader and Rapper Kevin Perez, a/k/a Kay Flock, Sentenced to 30 Years for Gang-Related Shootings Judge Lewis J. Liman imposed the term in the Southern District of New York, nine months after a jury convicted him on multiple federal charges but acquitted him of the one count that would have required a mandatory life sentence.
What He Was Convicted Of
The jury returned its verdict on March 20, 2025, after a trial that began earlier that month. Kay Flock was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, and a firearm discharge offense that resulted in death.1United States Department of Justice. Bronx Street Gang Leader and Rapper Kevin Perez, a/k/a Kay Flock, Sentenced to 30 Years for Gang-Related Shootings
The underlying conduct was a series of shootings in the Bronx between 2020 and 2022. One of those shootings killed 24-year-old Hwascar Hernandez in Manhattan’s Hamilton Heights neighborhood on December 16, 2021, the event that first brought Kay Flock into federal custody. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said Perez “was the leader of a neighborhood street gang known as Sev Side/DOA, and with that gang, he committed a series of gang-motivated shootings.”
The Charge the Jury Rejected
The jury acquitted Kay Flock of murder in aid of racketeering. That single count carried a mandatory life sentence on conviction, and its removal is the reason a 30-year term was even available to the judge. Kay Flock’s attorney, Michael T. Ashley, highlighted the acquittal at the time. Kay Flock himself posted on Instagram shortly after the verdict: “I beat the top count. I made the judge cry. He said now he not force to give me life.”
How 30 Years Was Built From the Statutes
Federal sentences come from statutory ranges for each offense, shaped by the sentencing guidelines and the judge’s discretion over whether counts run concurrently or back-to-back.
The heaviest count was the firearm charge under 18 U.S.C. § 924(j), which covers causing a death with a firearm during a violent crime. When the killing qualifies as murder, the statute allows any term up to life.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties In 2023, the Supreme Court held in Lora v. United States that 924(j) does not force a consecutive sentence, unlike the neighboring 924(c). That gave Judge Liman room to structure the overall term rather than stacking the counts automatically.
The violent-crimes-in-aid-of-racketeering counts under 18 U.S.C. § 1959 added their own ceilings: up to 10 years for attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and up to 3 years for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1959 – Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity The RICO conspiracy count tied the acts together under the guidelines, which set a base offense level of 19 or the level of the most serious underlying crime, whichever is higher. With shootings and a death in the mix, the recommended range sat well above that floor. The 30 years reflects how the judge combined all of it.
Credit for Time Served and Projected Release
Kay Flock has been in federal custody since his arrest in December 2021, roughly four years before sentencing. Federal law requires that a defendant receive credit toward a prison sentence for time spent in official detention before sentencing, provided that time has not been credited against another sentence.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3585 – Calculation of a Term of Imprisonment The Bureau of Prisons calculates that credit administratively, not the sentencing judge. Factoring in pretrial detention and potential good-conduct adjustments, a 30-year term points to a projected release sometime around 2047.
Will He Appeal
Kay Flock’s defense has indicated plans to appeal. Federal appeals in cases like this generally focus on whether evidence was properly admitted, whether jury instructions were correct, and whether the sentence was reasonable under the guidelines. One trial issue that drew attention was the prosecution’s use of rap lyrics as evidence of gang activity, a practice facing growing legal scrutiny around the country. The appeal process in federal court typically runs a year or more, and Kay Flock remains in Bureau of Prisons custody while it proceeds. A successful appeal would not automatically mean release; depending on what an appellate court found, it could lead to a new trial, resentencing, or dismissal of specific counts.