2009
- Black Gangsters of Chicago won first place in African American nonfiction category of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Award. Gangsters of Harlem won the award in the True Crime category.
- Fulbright Scholarship in Journalism to Indonesia
2008
- The “New Filmmakers New York” festival selected “Superfly” documentary to be part of its upcoming New York Summer 2008 Series. The film previewed August 20, 2008. Ron was co-producer of the documentary.
- Drug Lords won honorable mention in the general nonfiction category of the 2008 London Book Festival.
- Black Gangsters of Chicago won honorable mention in the 2008 New England Book Festival.
2007
- Drugs Lords and Gangsters of Harlem selected finalists for Foreword magazine’s True Crime Book of the Year. Gangsters Harlem wins honorable mention.
- Black Gangsters of Chicago selected a finalist for the Independent Book Publishers Association’s 2007 True Crime Book of the Year. Ron won the silver medal.
- Black Gangsters of Chicago won first place in the African American nonfiction category of the U.S. Book News “Best Books 2007” award. Both Black Gangsters of Chicago and Gangsters of Harlem are selected finalists for the award in the true crime category.
2005
- Ron is a finalist for a Knight International Journalism fellowship.
2004
- The DEA Watch web site selected Ron Honorary Special DEA Agent of the Year.
2002
- Fulbright Scholarship in Journalism to Bangladesh
1999
- The OCLC-Bogle- Forest Press Award, the American library profession´s highest award for international library service.
1989
- A special award from South Carolina Commission on the Status of Women for ¨promoting the status of women in South Carolina”
- Second place award in Florida Freelance Writer’s Association “Published Article” category.
