Eugene Henley, Jr., a jailed South Los Angeles gang leader, music label owner, and purported anti-gang activist awaiting federal trial, was charged on July 29 with seven additional federal felonies. The new charges include soliciting two fellow jail inmates to murder or seriously injure a witness against him and attempting to tamper with that witness’s testimony.
Henley, 59, also known as “Big U,” of the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles, has been in federal custody since March 2025. He was previously charged with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, robbery, extortion, and tax evasion. A federal grand jury returned the new indictment charging Henley—identified as a long-time member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips street gang—with solicitation to commit a crime of violence, tampering with a witness or informant, conspiracy to transport an individual across state lines for prostitution purposes, and additional counts of wire fraud.
Henley is accused by prosecutors of operating what they call the “Big U Enterprise,” which allegedly used his status in the Rollin’ 60s to extort businesses and individuals, traffic sex workers across state lines for prostitution purposes via co-defendant Armani Aflleje (who allegedly received payments from Henley), defraud donors and lenders—including submitting false applications for COVID-19 relief loans—and embezzle funds from Developing Options, his federally funded anti-gang nonprofit. The indictment also alleges that Henley is connected to the January 2021 murder of an aspiring musician in Las Vegas.
The superseding indictment describes incidents such as offering payment to inmates at his facility in June 2026 to kill or harm an identified witness known as “Victim-1” so that this person would not testify at trial against members of Henley’s alleged criminal enterprise. Other allegations include orchestrating assaults at Los Angeles International Airport in 2014 over unpaid debts; embezzling charitable donations; preparing false employment information for court use; seeking pandemic-relief loans on behalf of Developing Options; and threatening business owners unless paid off by him or associates.
If convicted on all counts—including those related to racketeering conspiracy and newly added witness tampering—Henley could face statutory maximum sentences amounting up to life imprisonment per count. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The FBI’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs; IRS Criminal Investigation; United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General; Los Angeles Police Department; and North Las Vegas Police Department are investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe are prosecuting it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California serves more than 19 million residents across seven counties through prosecution efforts focused on public safety partnerships with law enforcement agencies under E. Martin Estrada’s leadership, according to the official website.