Latest news with #Eugene'BigU'Henley
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Metro's violence prevention program marred by subway fight and subcontractor's RICO indictment
In November 2022, two men connected to a Metro safety program beat up another man on a station platform. Video footage, which The Times obtained last week, shows one of the workers squaring off before striking the man while the worker's colleague wearing a black shirt that says 'security' jumps into the fray throwing fists. The man fights back, is pushed down onto the Metro platform, and ends up on the tracks. Still held by one of the pair, he tries to yank away and throws punches until he is let go. The two 'community intervention specialists' — unarmed community members who have experience with at-risk populations and gang intervention — were hired to embed within Metro's 'street teams' to de-escalate and prevent violence. It's unclear who the third man is. Metro has touted the multimillion-dollar safety program as an integral solution to its fight against crime amid a surge in attacks throughout the rail and bus system, while trust in law enforcement has waned. But the 2022 incident involving the two men and a recent indictment of the co-founder of a community group also affiliated with the community intervention specialist program has raised questions about the oversight of Metro's plan. In January, Metro expanded its operation and awarded a three-year contract for nearly $25 million to the Lee Andrews Group, a public relations firm, to manage Metro's community intervention specialist program. The firm also manages Metro's street teams — a group the transit agency has described as station greeters who often distribute materials, such as PPE during the pandemic. That program complements Metro's robust transit ambassador teams, who also liaise with the public. These community-based programs have been proved to combat violence, Metro said, crediting these teams with a '15% reduction in violent crimes per boarding systemwide from 2023 to 2024' and a notable reduction in violence along the K Line. The Metro board directed the Lee Andrews Group to continue working with community organizations to combat violence by deploying specialists to 'hot spots' throughout the system. One of those groups was Developing Options, co-founded by Eugene 'Big U' Henley, who is described as a former gang member who became a community advocate. Henley was indicted in March on federal charges of fraud, robbery, extortion and running a racketeering conspiracy. Allegations against Henley also included fraudulently obtaining funds through a gang reduction and youth development program overseen by the L.A. mayor's office. Developing Options received nearly $2 million and stopped working with the Metro program March 25, Metro said, 'almost immediately after news surfaced about the organization's leadership.' A representative for Henley could not be reached for comment. Another community organization subcontracted by the Lee Andrews Group was Able Solutions — the organization affiliated with the men in the video, Metro confirmed. Since 2022, the organization has received more than $3.2 million for its work with Metro and while the men in the video were removed from the system and are no longer connected with Metro, the transit agency said the organization remains affiliated. Able Solutions has not responded to requests for comment. Metro's Customer Experience Cabinet oversees the program, but the transit agency does not vet the groups involved. That task falls to Lee Andrews Group and the community organizations, Metro said. The groups are expected to recruit members who have 'lived experience with gangs, trauma or violence,' according to the board report. According to Metro, Able Solutions requires a background check of all individuals through the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services' guard card system and a state Department of Justice Live Scan. The group also conducts a Megan's Law search. Lee Andrews' vetting process is 'rooted in on-the-ground credibility,' Metro said. 'They consult with local leaders, stakeholders and community coalitions to ensure that every individual representing the project has the necessary relationships, cultural competency and trust to operate effectively and responsibly in sensitive areas.' Since 2022, Metro said that eight people have been arrested who work as transit ambassadors, street team members and community intervention specialists. The programs have employed a combined total of nearly 800 people. Metro's top security officer in 2022, Gina Osborn, said her department was not involved in the oversight of the community intervention specialists or street teams and said that she had raised concerns over a lack of oversight. 'If you have a public safety ecosystem and you speak about it publicly, why is the entire ecosystem not under one person? Why is it compartmentalized in such a way where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing?' Osborn sued Metro last year over an allegation that the transit agency fired her in retaliation for filing a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General following a bus hijacking. The lawsuit described a tense relationship between Osborn and Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins over differing views on how Metro's system should be secured. Scott Decker, a professor emeritus at Arizona State University who has studied criminology and gang intervention, said that public agencies' collaborations with these these types of community-based programs has helped reduce crime in cities like Chicago. The data isn't 'cut or dry' when it comes to assessing whether they work better than law enforcement to prevent violence, Decker said, but 'there's not much evidence that shows police are demonstrably better.' Metro on Thursday approved a $9.4-billion budget that included a nearly 2% increase for Metro's public safety budget. The community intervention specialist program is cited as a key priority to the 'multi-layered approach' included under a nearly $400-million bucket. Osborn had been critical of how outside law enforcement patrolled the bus and rail system and pushed for more in-house security. Earlier this month, Metro named its chief of the transit agency's new in-house police department that will oversee all of Metro's safety operations. Under a $193-million-a-year plan, sworn officers would work with Metro ambassadors and crisis intervention staffers, as well as community intervention specialists.
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s Rollin' 60s Crips: The rise of a notorious gang and its reputed boss ‘Big U'
Even in the cutthroat world of Los Angeles street gangs, the saying associated with one Crips faction stands out as cold-blooded: 'You ain't a Rollin' 60 'til you kill a 60.' The Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips — which is said to be named for West 60th Street that rolled through its territory in South Los Angeles — have a reputation for violence, sometimes even against fellow members. But that hasn't stopped them from growing into one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in the city, if not the country. The gang's foot soldiers and shot callers have been many over the years, but one name has seemingly remained constant: Eugene 'Big U' Henley. Henley came up around the time that Hollywood turned gang life in the City of Angels into the stuff of legends. By the time the Rollin' 60s were name-dropped in the 1991 classic 'Boyz n the Hood,' he had already risen through the ranks. Much has changed since then. Gang-related shootings have plummeted from the historic highs a generation ago. Along the way, Henley has seen his own ups and downs — serving time in prison, emerging to build himself up as a community leader and music industry honcho, and now once again facing charges in a sprawling criminal case with 18 other alleged members and associates of the 60s. Federal prosecutors paint the picture of a gang whose fearsome reputation allowed Henley to intimidate businesses and people throughout L.A. for decades, touching the lives of NBA superstars and a Grammy-winning producer. Indicted last month on charges including fraud, robbery, extortion and a racketeering conspiracy that involved the murder of an aspiring rapper, Henley has pleaded not guilty. His court-appointed lawyer told The Times last month that his client 'maintains his innocence.' More details about Henley's alleged gang activities could emerge at a detention hearing set for Tuesday. But so far, the case against him has been met with skepticism in his old neighborhood. Gang interventionists and others who do outreach on South L.A.'s west side describe the Rollin' 60s as a loosely structured group with no real leader. Some argue that only a few of those arrested with Henley have actual ties to the gang. To his supporters, Henley has remained a larger-than-life figure who achieved their version of the American dream: A successful businessman who managed to rise out of a neighborhood battered by years of unemployment, over-policing and government neglect — but never forgot his roots. It's an image Henley worked hard to cultivate, and one he defended amid the latest charges. 'I ain't been nothing but a help to our community,' Henley said in a video. 'This the price of being Black and trying to help somebody, trying to help your community and do what you can.' The FBI began investigating the Rollin' 60s in August 2020, according to the federal complaint charging Henley and others. The following year, the agency launched an investigation into the so-called 'Big U Enterprise,' a term coined by investigators to describe Henley's alleged Mafia-like organization. Federal authorities said Henley was regarded as an 'original gangster,' or 'OG,' who had earned standing with fellow gang members over decades. 'He has been able to use that standing to intimidate businesses and individuals and to commit various forms of violence,' Ted Docks, FBI special agent in charge of the criminal division in Los Angeles, said at a news conference last month. After news of the raid on Henley's home hit social media, some commentators dredged up years-old rumors about Henley's supposed ties to the killing of Nipsey Hussle, a rap star, activist and entrepreneur who was shot to death in front of his South Los Angeles clothing store. Another 60s member was convicted of Hussle's murder, and multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the case — who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly — said they found no evidence tying Henley to the crime. The slaying led to a temporary ceasefire between rival Black gangs. Henley was in the middle of the effort, organizing a vigil attended by gang members of all stripes. Those who know Henley said that over the years they witnessed his transformation from tough-nosed street brawler to businessman and — at least outwardly — advocate for peace. 'As far as anything outside his work for his organization and his work in the music industry, I didn't see anything,' said Skipp Townsend, a prominent gang interventionist in L.A. 'Never nothing criminal.' But according to federal authorities, behind the veil of redemption Henley lived a double life as a ruthless gang boss. When famous athletes and musicians visited L.A., authorities say, Henley required them to 'check in' — and sometimes pay — to guarantee their safety around town. He allegedly helped collect a debt owed by a current NBA All-Star, whose name was withheld in court filings. Henley also allegedly extorted tens of thousands of dollars from an unlicensed marijuana dispensary and directed underlings to carry out robberies. But before building his alleged criminal empire, he was just a kid from South L.A. When Henley was born in 1966, the Crips didn't yet exist. It was three years later, as the story goes, when Raymond Washington, a teenager, formed the gang. Washington is the focus of an upcoming documentary, 'Crip: The Boy Who Built An Army' — for which Henley sat for interviews. 'It's not a roses story: it has some bad points, but it started out positive,' said Kenya Ware, who created both the documentary and a planned TV series called 'The Birth of a Crip.' 'Things change, in the midst of it, but the intention was good.' Steeped in the Black Panther Party teachings of self-pride and community control, historians say, the first generation of Black gang members in the 1960s banded together to defend against outsiders from neighboring communities, as well as police harassment. Over time, more and more crews sprouted, forging alliances and becoming rivals. 'Before it was killing and all that it was just hand fighting, like fistfights,' said Ronald 'Ron Ron' Thompson, Washington's nephew. After his uncle went to prison on a robbery charge, Thompson said, 'the 'hoods started forming.' The 60s were one of the first cliques — or 'sets' — of the Crips to take root in the western fringes of South L.A. in the mid-1970s. 'Crippin' was almost like a religion,' said Donald Bakeer, a former schoolteacher in South L.A. who wrote a historical novel on the gang's early history. Among his students was Henley, who Bakeer said he met while teaching at Horace Mann Junior High School. Even then, he said, Henley 'was a natural leader.' 'He was not the back-down kind of youngster,' Bakeer said. In 'Hip Hop Uncovered,' a six-part documentary series, Henley said he and several other kids formed the Arlington Gang and that it eventually morphed into 'our section of what was the Rollin' 60s.' 'I'm not the one that started it or gave it the name,' Henley said in the documentary, which credited him as an executive producer. 'I'm just in the first generation of it becoming Rollin' 60s. We the babies in that.' In 1981, police raided the homes of suspected Rollin' 60s members. One prosecutor at the time boasted in The Times that the raid had 'effectively wiped out' the gang. But Henley and the gang were just getting started. Henley recounted in his documentary series helping rob cars and making tens of thousands of dollars in the early 1980s. When he finally got caught, he said, he went to juvenile detention and had so many cases tied to him that authorities refused to release him to his mother. At her wit's end, she sent him to live with his father in Chicago to keep him from getting into more trouble, Henley said. After Henley left L.A., the 60s also began making their mark elsewhere. The crack epidemic had taken hold of South L.A., and it would soon spread across the country, bringing gang violence with it. In 1988, two men identified by police as members of the 60s were accused of shooting someone in the head several times in a heavy drug-trafficking area in Tacoma, Wash. The next year, a Kansas newspaper with the headline 'L.A. gangs make Midwest entry' detailed the spread of the Bloods and Crips across the country and their arrests for cocaine and crack possession. In 'Hip Hop Uncovered,' Henley described selling drugs in Minnesota, Atlanta and Chicago — where they would fetch a higher price — and being in L.A. for only a week or two at a time. 'We was really landing in cities, taking over blocks,' he said. In a confidential LAPD report prepared in 1989, detectives identified 459 hard-core members of the 60s, who had been arrested a total of 3,527 times, according to a Times article. There were convictions for murder, attempted murder, assaults with a deadly weapon, robberies, burglaries and other crimes. Apart from two cliques devoted to drug trafficking, the report said, most of the gang members commit crimes for their personal gain and 'hold no allegiance to any organization and do not act at the direction of a recognized leader.' Thompson, the nephew of the reputed Crips founder, recalled joining the gang around 1986 almost of necessity. People used to assume he was a member based on where he lived and would jump him anyway, he said, so he figured he might as well be part of the gang. 'These dudes are my friends anyway,' said Thompson, now a former member. 'They had my back like I had they back and that's just how it was.' A series of brazen bank robberies landed the gang on the radar of the LAPD and the FBI. In 1988, the murder of Karen Toshima, a 27-year-old graphic artist shot in the head by crossfire in a gang dispute as she walked along a street in Westwood Village. Until then, many of those living outside South L.A. assumed that gangs were confined to those neighborhoods, said Alex Alonso, a gang historian. Toshima's killing was one of several gang slayings that led to a large-scale show of law enforcement muscle called Operation Hammer, in which then-LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates vowed to 'eradicate' gangs by flooding streets with officers. The crackdown rounded up hundreds of people — many for minor crimes — and sowed resentment in wide swaths of South L.A. 'In hindsight I was glad Gates did that because it just showed that massive suppression, sending everything you have, spending all kinds of money, didn't really put a dent in the gang problem in L.A.,' Alonso said. 'It just proves that you cannot arrest your way out of the problem.' After a string of arrests in the late 1980s, Henley went away for his longest prison stretch. Busted trying to rob an undercover sheriff's deputy of 33 pounds of cocaine, he was convicted and sentenced in 1992 to 23 years. Eight years after Henley's arrest, David Ross, now a retired LAPD detective, landed at 77th Division, where he worked multiple gangs at a time. But in January 2002, he recalled being assigned only one: the 60s. He called them 'the largest Black criminal street gang in Los Angeles by far.' They claim various logos — including the Rolls-Royce symbol and the baseball hats of the White Sox and Mariners — and count a number of Crips factions as enemies in addition to their traditional rivals, the Bloods. 'There's no real hierarchy, it's not like the Mafia, for example, where it's really, strictly tightly controlled and people are really disciplined because they don't want to lose their life by crossing the boss,' Ross said. 'There's a lot of this jealousy and rivalry that goes on if somebody has something good going on and getting money.' Around 2004, a fellow LAPD officer told Ross that Henley would soon be released. 'I did hear that Big U had quite a reputation,' Ross recounted. 'I can't see very many Rollin' 60s of any age that would cross him or go against something that he said.' But Henley said his mentality had shifted by the time of his release. During his last stint behind bars, he said, he began a transformation, which included converting to Islam. He described in one interview how he gradually distanced himself from the gang lifestyle that earned him respect and fear on the streets. 'You spend the front part of your life destroying a community and when I came home, it was about being known as somebody who has helped to heal it and bring it to a better place,' Henley said in his 'Hip Hop Uncovered' interview. 'I know I want to help people. I want to be able to effect change.' After getting out of prison, Henley created Developing Options, dedicated to gang intervention work and offering sports programs for kids. The work eventually drew major backing from the city. Authorities have accused Henley of fraudulently obtaining $2.35 million from the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program from 2018 to 2023. Henley's organization is one of more than 20 involved in the program overseen by the L.A. mayor's office, the city said last month. The tax dollars were allocated at a time when Henley was thought to be a positive force in Los Angeles, but federal authorities say behind the scenes he was a ruthless killer. Federal authorities have accused Henley of kidnapping and fatally shooting a young rapper in the face over perceived disrespect and leaving his body in the Las Vegas desert. Henley's supporters refuse to believe the charges. Shamond 'Lil AD' Bennett, 46, joined the Rollin' 60s when Henley was already an established figure. The two didn't meet until Henley's latest release from prison, but Bennett said he'd heard 'just the great person he was, been there for his community.' 'I thought the world of him, he was a great dude,' he said. 'I still hope to God he beat that s—.' Bennett, who has each letter of 'Rollin' tattooed down the side of his face, said many of those arrested with Henley were not tied to the 60s. He argued that authorities 'try to paint a picture to make us look bad' — pointing to what he said was law enforcement's long history of targeting Black men of influence. And as far as Henley being a gang leader? 'Ain't no leaders in 60s,' Bennett said. 'Ain't none. Not one.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Hip-hop exec, accused LA gang leader pleads not guilty to racketeering, extortion charges
(KTLA) – A music executive who authorities allege is a leader of a notorious Los Angeles street gang appeared in court Tuesday to face a wide range of charges, including extortion, racketeering and conspiracy. Eugene 'Big U' Henley, accused leader of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips, pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday morning. His trial is set to begin on May 20, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Henley, 58, turned himself in to authorities last month on charges of fraud, robbery, extortion, human trafficking, embezzlement and leading a 'mafia-like' criminal enterprise that was responsible for the murder of Rayshawn Williams, an aspiring rapper who had recorded a diss track about him, federal investigators say. The investigators allege Henley, who billed himself as both an 'OG' — original gangster — and an anti-gang activist, shot and killed Williams, then 'dragged the victim's body off Interstate 15 in Las Vegas and left it in a ditch' in January 2021. He's also accused of using his stature as a prominent figure in the famed street gang to extort wealthy individuals, like celebrities and professional athletes, requiring them to 'check in' with him when visiting the city and coercing them to pay for protection. The practice was widespread and well known throughout the hip-hop community, prosecutors allege. Former Dodgers pitcher dies after roof collapses at Dominican nightclub Investigators say he also embezzled from his 'anti-gang charity,' which was actually a front for him to transfer donations to his personal accounts, conceal illegal activities and 'insulate other members of the Big U Enterprise from law enforcement suspicion,' the Department of Justice wrote in a March 25 press release. The charity received major donations from celebrities and prominent companies, officials said. Despite the accusation that he murdered the young rapper, Henley does not face murder charges, but rather racketeering and conspiracy charges related to the killing. If convicted, he could face decades in federal prison for each felony complaint — essentially a life sentence. He is among seven defendants facing charges as part of the criminal operation. The Rollin' 60s first appeared in the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles and rose to prominence in the 1980s. It is considered one of the largest street gangs in L.A., with hundreds of current and former members, including late musician and activist Nipsey Hussle. Cameron Kiszla contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Hip-hop exec, accused L.A. gang leader pleads not guilty to extortion, murder charges
A music executive who authorities say is a leader of a notorious Los Angeles street gang appeared in court Tuesday to face charges alleging he used his influence to extort wealthy individuals, stole from his charity and murdered a young rapper signed to his label. Eugene 'Big U' Henley, accused leader of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips, pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday morning. His trial is set to begin on May 20, a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney's Office said. Henley, 58, turned himself into authorities last month on charges of fraud, robbery, extortion, human trafficking, embezzlement and leading a 'mafia-like' criminal enterprise that was responsible for the murder of Rayshawn Williams, an aspiring rapper who had recorded a diss track about him. Federal investigators allege Henley, who billed himself as both an 'OG' — original gangster — and an anti-gang activist, shot and killed Williams, then 'dragged the victim's body off Interstate 15 in Las Vegas and left it in a ditch' in January 2021. He's also accused of using his stature as a prominent figure in the famed street gang to extort wealthy individuals, like celebrities and professional athletes, requiring them to 'check in' with him when visiting the city and coercing them to pay for protection. The practice was widespread and well known throughout the hip-hop community, prosecutors allege. Former Dodgers pitcher dies after roof collapses at Dominican nightclub Investigators say he also embezzled from his 'anti-gang charity,' which was actually just a front for him to transfer donations to his personal accounts, conceal illegal activities and 'insulate other members of the Big U Enterprise from law enforcement suspicion,' the Department of Justice wrote in a March 25 press release. The charity received major donations from celebrities and prominent companies, officials said. Despite the accusation that he murdered the young rapper, Henley does not face murder charges, but rather racketeering and conspiracy charges related to the killing. If convicted, he could face decades in federal prison for each felony complain — essentially a life sentence. He is among seven defendants facing charges as part of the criminal operation. The Rollin' 60s first appeared in the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles and rose to prominence in the 1980s. It is considered one of the largest street gangs in L.A. with hundreds of current and former members, including late musician and activist Nipsey Hussle. Cameron Kiszla contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Eugene 'Big U' Henley Indicted By Grand Jury On Fraud, Robbery, Extortion
A grand jury decided that there is enough evidence to charge Eugene 'Big U' Henley with multiple criminal offenses after he was arrested in a gang takedown earlier this month. A press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, confirmed a 43-count indictment details the alleged acts the 58-year-old carried out as leader of a mafia-style enterprise. Officially, Henley is charged with the following: 'One count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and extortion (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, nine counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion, five counts of Hobbs Act extortion, one count of transportation of an individual in interstate commerce with intent that the individual engage in prostitution (Mann Act), 15 counts of wire fraud, five counts of embezzlement, conversion, and intentional misapplication of funds from an organization receiving federal funds, one count of bank fraud, one count of tax evasion, and two counts of willful failure to file a tax return.' Henley's arraignment is scheduled for April 8, and his detention hearing is scheduled for April 10. If convicted, the supposed anti-gang activist faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the racketeering conspiracy count. Additionally, the bank fraud count is punishable by up to 30 years, the Hobbs Act conspiracy, robbery, and extortion, the wire fraud counts each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and the theft concerning programs receiving federal funds count each carry a penalty of up to 10 years. Also charged in the indictment are the following individuals, all currently in federal custody, according to the attorney's office: Sylvester Robinson, 59, a.k.a. 'Vey' Mark Martin, 50, a.k.a. 'Bear Claw' Termaine Ashley Williams, 42, a.k.a. 'Luce Cannon' Armani Aflleje, 38, a.k.a. 'Mani' Fredrick Blanton Jr., 43 Tiffany Shanrika Hines, 51 'As the indictment alleges, Mr. Henley led a criminal enterprise whose conduct ranged from murder to sophisticated fraud that included stealing from taxpayers and a charity,' detailed Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally in the memo. 'Eradicating gangs and organized crime is the Department of Justice's top priority. Today's charges against the leadership of this criminal outfit will make our neighborhoods in Los Angeles safer.' In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Henley's attorney, John Targowski, exclaimed that his client 'looks forward to a vigorous defense of these charges and maintains his innocence.' Before his arrest, Henley released videos on social media asserting, 'I ain't did nothing.' The clips have since been deleted. 'If you had something against a Black man, you should handle it with a Black man in the streets. Wack said 100 times he was gonna take my contracts, he working with the FBI,' Henley exclaimed. 'I ain't been nothing but help to our community. But I guess it is what it is. This is the price of being Black and trying to help somebody, trying to help your community and do what you can. You just guilty because somebody else don't like you and they go on the internet and do what the f**k they want to and y'all gon' promote it.' More from Meek Mill Reacts To Kidnapping, Ransom Allegations By Rolling 60s Crips Member Meek Mill Was Allegedly Kidnapped, Held For Ransom By Rolling 60s Crips Gang Wack 100 Denies Big U's Claim He Helped Feds Build Rollin' 60s RICO Case
