Feds Say "Godfather of Rap" Big U Ran Mafia-like Enterprise Behind Anti-Gang Nonprofit

Yahoo

28-03-2025

When federal agents fanned across L.A. on March 19 with warrants targeting what prosecutors describe as a "mafia-like" enterprise operating behind a nonprofit anti-gang group, their primary target—music executive and activist Eugene "Big U" Henley—turned off his phones and temporarily disappeared, according to a 43-count indictment unsealed Thursday.As authorities seized his black 2021 Mercedes and searched his two L.A. homes, Henley took to social media, claiming the FBI raids were the price he paid as "a Black man trying to help his community." Investigators reportedly found a blue Seattle Mariner's hat, associated with the Crips, next to a subpoena at one of his residences after he briefly evaded authorities.
In an Instagram video posted to Crenshaw Cougars, an account largely devoted to Henley's charitable work with children, he denied being on the run, instead stating he planned to turn himself in, which he did later that night. "I ain't did nothing," he insisted in the video. "I ain't been nothing but a help to our community. This the price of being Black and trying to help somebody, trying to help your community and do what you can."Henley, credited with launching the late Nipsey Hussle's career, is a recognizable figure in L.A. Prosecutors identify him as a well-known enforcer for the Rollin' 60s during the Crips' expansion throughout many L.A. neighborhoods in the 1980s. During that period, prosecutors say he "fostered a fierce and earned reputation for violence, which included multiple charges for first-degree murder, as well as a charge for attempted murder of a peace officer."He served a 23-year sentence beginning in 1991 on numerous charges, during which he maintained his violent reputation. In a documentary series produced by Henley, Snoop Dogg described him as "institutionalized," adding: "You say the wrong thing, you get fucked up. He was short-tempered and serious about the shit he was on. Something about him I liked 'cause I felt like he was a leader."After his 2004 prison release, prosecutors say Henley became involved in the music industry. He met Nipsey Hussle in 2008, and the two were close until a dispute over music equipment escalated into an armed confrontation that ended without bloodshed when the rapper's brother intervened. "LAPD reports documented that violence erupted, and when LAPD officers arrived on the scene, a firearm was present and discharged," the indictment states. While no one was injured in that incident, Nipsey Hussle would later be murdered by Rollin' 60s member Eric Holder Jr. in 2019, who is now serving a 60-year sentence.According to the indictment, Henley continued criminal activities even after founding Developing Options, a nonprofit community group supporting Crenshaw sports leagues that received credit for "reducing gang violence." The program began receiving substantial gang reduction grants in 2015, amounting to millions in taxpayer funds, with Henley allegedly collecting "hundreds of thousands of dollars, purportedly in salary.""Mr. Henley allegedly duped the County of Los Angeles by running a charitable organization that promoted anti-gang solutions while continuing criminal activity that was directly contrary to his charity," said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles Field Office.Federal prosecutors now accuse Henley of using his platform as a community activist—one celebrated at a City Hall ceremony this year—to conceal criminal activities, including extorting celebrities visiting L.A. who had to pay what prosecutors term "a tax or fee."The indictment points to Henley's podcast "Checc'n In," which opened with a theme song explaining, "When you hop off the plane, check-in. Penthouse suite, check-in. When your feet hit the street, check-in. 'Cause if not, shit get hot. You better check in." Prosecutors claim this was code for extortion, explaining: "The 'check-in' included both a payment to the Big U Enterprise as well as requesting permission from Henley to conduct certain activities."In 2022, rapper Quando Rando was killed, allegedly by Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk, in what prosecutors describe as a drive-by murder-for-hire that Henley reportedly cited as a consequence of not "checking in" until "it was too late."That killing came a year after the January 2021 murder of rapper Rayshawn Williams, who recorded on Henley's label Uneek Records. Williams had created a "dis song" targeting Henley, according to an FBI agent. In the song, Williams called Henley the "bro that makes some money" and acknowledged he might get "shot in the face" for his lyrics. Days later, Williams was shot in the face and left in the desert. His family told police that Williams had "trusted" Henley, having grown up playing football with the music executive as his coach, but they believe the music mogul was responsible for his death.Other alleged crimes include extorting NBA players who wanted to participate in L.A. "parties, gambling games, or advertising shoots," drug-related offenses, and trafficking of women with the help of his co-defendant, Armani Aflleje, who reportedly told an FBI agent "she did not consider herself a pimp," but rather someone who "created environments for women to do actions and make money."The extensive allegations in the 107-page indictment contradict Henley's public image as a reformed individual. According to wiretapped conversations from January 2023, Henley reportedly bragged that no one could "beef" with him because "I'ma kill him. Period. I. Am. Going. To. Murder. Him." Later that year, while "discussing gang politics with a co-conspirator," he allegedly stated, "I'm retired, nigga? Activist? I'll pull up on your block right now, nigga, and show up and show out, nigga what happened to the last niggas that thought I was retired."Henley remains in federal custody, with his arraignment scheduled for April 8 and a detention hearing set for April 10.
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