A federal jury in Memphis found Rodriquez Henley, 33, guilty of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and determined that his criminal history qualified him for enhanced punishment under the Armed Career Criminal Act, according to an Aug. 5 announcement by United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee.
Court records show that on May 19, 2025, officers from the Memphis Police Department detained Henley at the Know-It-All Market on Park Avenue while responding to a disturbance call. Upon detaining Henley due to an outstanding warrant, officers recovered a black Ruger .380 caliber handgun from his front waistband.
During the trial, evidence was presented regarding Henley’s prior convictions, which include two separate counts of Aggravated Robbery and one count of Aggravated Burglary. The jury concluded that he had committed at least three violent felonies on different occasions. This finding triggered enhanced sentencing penalties under federal law for armed career criminals.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 10 before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman. With this verdict and designation as an armed career criminal, Henley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Henley’s lifestyle of lawlessness has finally caught up with him. He has devoted most of his life to repeated violent crimes, and now the federal system will do what should have been done a long time ago – impose a real consequence that will prevent him from victimizing anyone else for years to come.”
The case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is described as “the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe.” Special Assistant United States Attorneys Yosef Hochheiser and Kesha Zaffino prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee advances community safety through federal law enforcement efforts; it is one among 93 offices under the U.S. Department of Justice handling prosecutions and civil matters across its district with offices in Memphis and Jackson, according to its official website.