Feds: L.A. Rap Influencer Big U Used His Anti-Gang Activism As Cover For Criminal Empire
"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," Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office, said at a press conference Wednesday. He was able to pull off dual roles as a community activist and a purported murderous gang leader because of his past as "a widely known leader within the Rollin' 60s," prosecutors say.And he often didn't try to hide his duality. In a phone call that was captured by a law enforcement wiretap, Henley even referenced his continuing gang bonafides saying: 'I'm retired, nigga? Activist? I'll pull up on your block right now, nigga, and show up and show out, nigga. That's 24 what happened to the last niggas that thought I was retired.'Two other alleged members of Henley's criminal enterprise – Sylvester Robinson, 59, a.k.a. 'Vey,' of Northridge, and Mark Martin, 50, a.k.a. 'Bear Claw,' of the Beverlywood area of Los Angeles – were arrested in the gang sweep dubbed Operation Draw Down which led to the recent arrests of ten alleged Rollin' 60s members. Another four were already in custody. Martin was also listed as the Vice President of Developing Options. Henley is considered a fugitive, prosecutors say. According to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, Henley and his cohorts – identified in court documents as the 'Big U Enterprise' – operated as "a mafia-like organization that utilized Henley's stature and long-standing association with the Rollin' 60s and other street gangs to intimidate businesses and individuals in Los Angeles."FBI Special Agent Andrew Roosa wrote in an affidavit that Henley pretended to be a rehabilitated gang member who learned his lesson after a thirteen-year prison stint connected to the drug rip of an undercover Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy but was, in fact, still using violence to run his enterprise. Henley, Roosa wrote, 'simultaneously attempted to create an air of legitimacy for the Big U Enterprise by promoting himself as a reformed gang member focused on bettering his community." He now stands accused of murdering an aspiring rapper on his own label. According to a complaint, Henley allegedly drove the victim, identified as R.W. in the complaint, to North Las Vegas, shot him in the head, dragged the victim's body off Interstate 15 into the desert, and left it in a ditch.
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NBC News
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Prohibiting those products will make offshore operators more attractive.' By persuading its partners to keep some prop bets off the books, the NBA nonetheless provided a precedent for how to remove bets leagues have considered, to use Manfred's term, 'unnecessary.' Would MLB, amid an ongoing investigation into two pitchers, follow? Unlike the NBA, MLB doesn't have easily defined classifications of contracts such as 10-day and two-way players. One method could instead be to target so-called first-pitch microbets. MLB is having 'ongoing conversations' related to gambling, according to a person with knowledge of the league's thinking. If baseball were to make such a push against microbets, its reasoning might mirror the NBA's last year, said Gill Alexander, a longtime sports betting commentator for VSiN. 'I think basically baseball's point would be, you know, this is the type of prop that is just begging for trouble, right?' Alexander said. Ohio, for one, would most likely agree. Last month, Gov. Mike DeWine asked the Ohio Casino Control Commission to ban prop bets on 'highly specific events within games that are completely controlled by one player," he said in a news release, while asking the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA and MLS commissioners to support his stance. 'The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly,' DeWine said. Alexander said: 'I do think that we're in the era now where these leagues can exert some influence on these sports books, as long as it is of no financial pain to the sports books. This is one of these instances where, really, I don't agree with Rob Manfred every day, but I actually think he's probably going to get what he wants here.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Heat security guard pleads guilty to selling millions in stolen memorabilia, including LeBron James NBA Finals jersey
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