Federal prosecutors have charged longtime Los Angeles gang leader Eugene Henley Jr., known as “Big U,” with running a “mafia-like organization” that allegedly committed murder, human trafficking, and stole from taxpayers.
Henley, 58, of South Los Angeles, turned himself in on Wednesday, March 19, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The Department of Justice described Henley as a longtime Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips street gang shotcaller in a news release, and said he killed an aspiring rapper in 2021 and dumped the man’s body in the desert.
Henley is charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Related: Ja Rule Questions Why Prosecutors Are Targeting Rappers With RICO Charges
Hollywood Connection
Henley starred in and executive produced the 2021 FX docuseries Hip Hop Uncovered. The six-part series chronicled “power brokers who operate from the shadows of hip hop,” and featured Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Trick Trick, and Deb Antney.
The trailer portrayed Big U as a “godfather of rap” who gave back to the community.
The official description said: “With music being a foundation in ‘Big U’s’ life, his music industry accolades include jump-starting the careers of West Coast legends Kurupt and Nipsey Hussle.”
But the DOJ said Wednesday, instead of giving back, Henley took advantage of the people around him.
Alleged Co-Conspirators
Henley was one of 19 Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips members charged in a federal complaint with crimes that included racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking, fraud and firearms offenses.
Other alleged members of the criminal group who were arrested included Sylvester Robinson, 59, a.k.a. “Vey,” of Northridge, California; and Mark Martin, 50, a.k.a. “Bear Claw,” of the Beverlywood area of Los Angeles. They are charged on the same criminal complaint as Henley.
The DOJ said Henley posed as an anti-gang activist to tap into taxpayer funds and donations from celebrities.
“The lead defendant and others in this case have for too long gotten away with violent acts and stealing money from taxpayers and well-intentioned donors whether they use intimidation tactics or wield influence as purportedly rehabilitated original gangsters,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement.
Davis said the FBI, LAPD and other local partners worked on the case for four years.
Controversial Charity
The DOJ alleged Henley used his charity called Developing Options — which was marketed as giving South L.A. youth an alternative to gangs and drugs — as a front for fraudulent activity and to insulate its members from suspicion by police.
“Henley allegedly embezzled large donations that celebrities and award-winning companies made to Developing Options, which Henley immediately converted to his personal bank account,” the DOJ said in a statement.
Federal authorities said the charity was “primarily funded through the City of Los Angeles’s Mayor’s Office through the Gang Reduction Youth Development (GRYD) Foundation, portions of which receive federal funding, but also receives donations from prominent sources, including NBA players.”
NBC Los Angeles reported the nonprofit raked in “millions of dollars.”
Big U Enterprise
According to the DOJ, Henley allegedly operated a mafia-like organization identified as “Big U Enterprise,” that intimidated businesses and individuals in Los Angeles.
The enterprise allegedly exploited sex workers, submitted a fraudulent application for a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan for Henley’s record label Uneek Music, and carried out a murder.
Rapper Killed
The DOJ said in January 2021, Henley allegedly killed a man identified in court documents as “R.W.” — an aspiring rapper signed to Uneek Music.
Shortly before the rapper’s death, Henley and Uneek Music paid for R.W. to travel to Las Vegas to record music at a Grammy Award-winning music producer’s studio, the DOJ said.
But a dispute arose over the agreed-upon rate and R.W. instead recorded a diss track about Henley, causing Henley and Robinson to travel to Las Vegas to confront him.
“Henley allegedly drove R.W. to North Las Vegas, shot him in the head, and dragged the victim’s body off Interstate 15 into the desert and left it in a ditch,” the DOJ said in a statement. “Henley returned to Los Angeles with Robinson and ordered studio workers to leave while his associate removed security surveillance footage from the studio.”
The DOJ says Henley told witnesses not to cooperate with police in the murder investigation.
If convicted in the RICO case, Henley faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Robinson and Martin face a maximum 20 years in federal prison.
Watch the NBC Los Angeles news report below.
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