Latest news with #UneekMusic
CBS News
08-04-2025
- CBS News
Big U, alleged Los Angeles gang leader pleads not guilty
An alleged longtime Los Angeles gang leader, known as Big U, pleaded not guilty in a downtown courthouse Tuesday to charges contained in a 43-count federal indictment, including racketeering, fraud, extortion, and embezzlement. Eugene Henley Jr., the so-called rap "godfather," surrendered to authorities last month in connection with a federal complaint that also linked him to the 2021 killing of an aspiring rapper in Las Vegas. According to federal prosecutors, Henley is a leader of the Hyde Park-based Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips and runs a vast, "mafia-like" organization that has committed crimes such as murder, trafficking and COVID fraud. Six other people allegedly linked to the case were also arrested. The 58-year-old's charges include a single count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, along with multiple counts of robbery, extortion, wire fraud and embezzlement, among other charges. Prosecutors accuse Henley of killing Las Vegas rapper Rayshawn Williams in Jan. 2021, saying the victim, who had been signed by Henley's Uneek Music record label, had recorded a defamatory song about Henley. Henley allegedly killed him, "then dragged the victim's body off Interstate 15 in Las Vegas and left it in a ditch," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Henley is also accused of defrauding famous athletes, including former Laker Shaquille O'Neal, by persuading them to donate money to charity, then allegedly pocketing the funds himself. He is also accused of fraudulently obtaining funding from the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program supervised by the L.A. Mayor's Office. Authorities also allege Henley submitted a fraudulent application for a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan in which he claimed that Uneek Music was operating at a $200,000 profit in 2019 despite operating at a $5,000 loss that year, which should have disqualified it from loan eligibility. Henley served 13 years in prison for trying to steal cocaine from an undercover sheriff's deputy in 1991. His son, Daiyan Henley, is a linebacker entering his second season with the Los Angeles Chargers. Henley was instrumental in launching the career of the late Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was shot to death in South Los Angeles in 2019. If convicted, Henley could face a sentence of hundreds of years in prison, prosecutors said.
The Guardian
20-03-2025
- The Guardian
Federal authorities arrest LA street gang leader Eugene ‘Big U' Henley Jr
Federal authorities have taken into custody on Wednesday, a longtime leader of a Los Angeles street gang who investigators say ran a 'mafia-like' criminal enterprise that included murder, human trafficking and extortion while he also worked as an entertainment entrepreneur, after a brief search, officials announced. Eugene Henley Jr, known as 'Big U,' was one of 18 members of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips charged in a federal complaint with a litany of federal crimes including drug trafficking, conspiracy and firearms offenses, the United States attorney's office said in a statement. Ten gang members were arrested this week while Henley, 58, and one other were initially considered fugitives, the statement said. The FBI announced on X Wednesday evening that both had been taken into custody. Other defendants were already in custody. Henley allegedly masterminded a criminal operation that investigators dubbed the 'Big U Enterprise,' and is also suspected of embezzling donations to Developing Options, an anti-gang charity he founded, but which prosecutors say he used 'as a front for fraudulent purposes and to insulate its members from suspicion by law enforcement'. He is suspected in the 2021 killing of an aspiring rap musician who was signed to his recording company, Uneek Music, according to prosecutors. The rapper, identified in court documents as 'R.W.,' was allegedly shot and killed by Henley after he recorded a 'defamatory song' about the gang leader at a Las Vegas studio, prosecutors said. R.W.'s body was found in a ditch off Interstate 15 in the Nevada desert. Prosecutors said Henley ran the enterprise like a mob boss and used his stature and long-standing association with the Rollin' 60s and other street gangs to intimidate businesses and individuals in Los Angeles. 'Not only did the enterprise expand its power through violence, fear, and intimidation, but it also used social media platforms, documentaries, podcasts, interviews, and Henley's reputation and status as an 'O.G.' (original gangster) to create fame for — and stoke fear of — the Big U Enterprise, its members, and its associates,' the US attorney's statement said. Henley is accused of organizing criminal activity including extortion, robbery, trafficking and exploiting sex workers, fraud and illegal gambling. In addition, he's suspected of submitting a fraudulent application for a Covid-19 pandemic relief loan for Uneek Music. It wasn't known Wednesday if Henley has an attorney. If convicted, he could face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
LA Crips leader ran ‘mafia-like' crime empire fronted by anti-gang charity, feds say
US authorities have taken a longtime leader of a Los Angeles street gang who investigators say ran a 'mafia-like' criminal enterprise that included murder, human trafficking and extortion while he also worked as an entertainment entrepreneur into custody Wednesday after a brief search, officials announced. Eugene Henley Jr., known as 'Big U,' was one of 18 members of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips charged in a federal complaint with a litany of federal crimes including drug trafficking, conspiracy, and firearms offenses, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. Ten gang members were arrested this week while Henley, 58, and one other were initially considered fugitives, the statement said. The FBI announced on X Wednesday evening that both had been taken into custody. Other defendants were already in custody. Henley allegedly masterminded a criminal operation that investigators dubbed the 'Big U Enterprise,' and is also suspected of embezzling donations to Developing Options, an anti-gang charity he founded but which prosecutors say he used 'as a front for fraudulent purposes and to insulate its members from suspicion by law enforcement.' He is suspected in the 2021 killing of an aspiring rap musician who was signed to his recording company, Uneek Music, according to prosecutors. The rapper, identified in court documents as 'R.W.,' was allegedly shot and killed by Henley after he recorded a 'defamatory song' about the gang leader at a Las Vegas studio, prosecutors said. R.W.'s body was found in a ditch off Interstate 15 in the Nevada desert. Prosecutors said Henley ran the enterprise like a mob boss and used his stature and long-standing association with the Rollin' 60s and other street gangs to intimidate businesses and individuals in Los Angeles. 'Not only did the enterprise expand its power through violence, fear, and intimidation, but it also used social media platforms, documentaries, podcasts, interviews, and Henley's reputation and status as an 'O.G.' (original gangster) to create fame for — and stoke fear of — the Big U Enterprise, its members, and its associates,' the U.S. attorney's statement said. Henley is accused of organizing criminal activity including extortion, robbery, trafficking and exploiting sex workers, fraud, and illegal gambling. In addition, he's suspected of submitting a fraudulent application for a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan for Uneek Music. It wasn't known Wednesday if Henley has an attorney. If convicted, he could face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
CNN
20-03-2025
- CNN
LA Crips leader ran ‘mafia-like' crime empire fronted by anti-gang charity, feds say
US authorities have taken a longtime leader of a Los Angeles street gang who investigators say ran a 'mafia-like' criminal enterprise that included murder, human trafficking and extortion while he also worked as an entertainment entrepreneur into custody Wednesday after a brief search, officials announced. Eugene Henley Jr., known as 'Big U,' was one of 18 members of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips charged in a federal complaint with a litany of federal crimes including drug trafficking, conspiracy, and firearms offenses, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. Ten gang members were arrested this week while Henley, 58, and one other were initially considered fugitives, the statement said. The FBI announced on X Wednesday evening that both had been taken into custody. Other defendants were already in custody. Henley allegedly masterminded a criminal operation that investigators dubbed the 'Big U Enterprise,' and is also suspected of embezzling donations to Developing Options, an anti-gang charity he founded but which prosecutors say he used 'as a front for fraudulent purposes and to insulate its members from suspicion by law enforcement.' He is suspected in the 2021 killing of an aspiring rap musician who was signed to his recording company, Uneek Music, according to prosecutors. The rapper, identified in court documents as 'R.W.,' was allegedly shot and killed by Henley after he recorded a 'defamatory song' about the gang leader at a Las Vegas studio, prosecutors said. R.W.'s body was found in a ditch off Interstate 15 in the Nevada desert. Prosecutors said Henley ran the enterprise like a mob boss and used his stature and long-standing association with the Rollin' 60s and other street gangs to intimidate businesses and individuals in Los Angeles. 'Not only did the enterprise expand its power through violence, fear, and intimidation, but it also used social media platforms, documentaries, podcasts, interviews, and Henley's reputation and status as an 'O.G.' (original gangster) to create fame for — and stoke fear of — the Big U Enterprise, its members, and its associates,' the U.S. attorney's statement said. Henley is accused of organizing criminal activity including extortion, robbery, trafficking and exploiting sex workers, fraud, and illegal gambling. In addition, he's suspected of submitting a fraudulent application for a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan for Uneek Music. It wasn't known Wednesday if Henley has an attorney. If convicted, he could face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
CNN
20-03-2025
- CNN
LA Crips leader ran ‘mafia-like' crime empire fronted by anti-gang charity, feds say
US authorities have taken a longtime leader of a Los Angeles street gang who investigators say ran a 'mafia-like' criminal enterprise that included murder, human trafficking and extortion while he also worked as an entertainment entrepreneur into custody Wednesday after a brief search, officials announced. Eugene Henley Jr., known as 'Big U,' was one of 18 members of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips charged in a federal complaint with a litany of federal crimes including drug trafficking, conspiracy, and firearms offenses, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. Ten gang members were arrested this week while Henley, 58, and one other were initially considered fugitives, the statement said. The FBI announced on X Wednesday evening that both had been taken into custody. Other defendants were already in custody. Henley allegedly masterminded a criminal operation that investigators dubbed the 'Big U Enterprise,' and is also suspected of embezzling donations to Developing Options, an anti-gang charity he founded but which prosecutors say he used 'as a front for fraudulent purposes and to insulate its members from suspicion by law enforcement.' He is suspected in the 2021 killing of an aspiring rap musician who was signed to his recording company, Uneek Music, according to prosecutors. The rapper, identified in court documents as 'R.W.,' was allegedly shot and killed by Henley after he recorded a 'defamatory song' about the gang leader at a Las Vegas studio, prosecutors said. R.W.'s body was found in a ditch off Interstate 15 in the Nevada desert. Prosecutors said Henley ran the enterprise like a mob boss and used his stature and long-standing association with the Rollin' 60s and other street gangs to intimidate businesses and individuals in Los Angeles. 'Not only did the enterprise expand its power through violence, fear, and intimidation, but it also used social media platforms, documentaries, podcasts, interviews, and Henley's reputation and status as an 'O.G.' (original gangster) to create fame for — and stoke fear of — the Big U Enterprise, its members, and its associates,' the U.S. attorney's statement said. Henley is accused of organizing criminal activity including extortion, robbery, trafficking and exploiting sex workers, fraud, and illegal gambling. In addition, he's suspected of submitting a fraudulent application for a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan for Uneek Music. It wasn't known Wednesday if Henley has an attorney. If convicted, he could face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
