“The lead defendant and others in this case have for too long gotten away with violent acts and stealing money from taxpayers and well-intentioned donors whether they use intimidation tactics or wield influence as purportedly rehabilitated original gangsters.”
—Akil Davis, FBI Los Angeles Field Office
A contingent of law enforcement officials gathered on March 19 in Los Angeles to release a federal complaint alleging that a dozen South Central gang members ran a criminal enterprise to commit a litany of racketeering crimes including extortion, fraud, and other illegitimate activities. Paramount among them are violations involving the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
These charges are the result of a multi-agency investigation under the banner label “Operation Draw Down.”
The 107 page complaint alleges that local civic leader Eugene Henley Jr. (also known as ‘Big U’) used his position as an activist, music executive, and philanthropist as a cover to run a sprawling criminal empire which engaged in defrauding donors along with city and federal entities. His nonprofit, known as Developing Options was inaugurated in 2004 to provide alternatives to neighborhood dysfunction via advocacy, education, and vocational resources. It received funding for these purposes from the city and Mayor Karen Bass to the tune of $2.35 million alone between July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2023.
“…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,” asserted Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations.
Henley’s journey was a story of redemption prior to these allegations. An acknowledged “OG” or “Original Gangster” with the Rollin’ 60s Crips known on the streets as “Big U,” he reformed after incarceration for drug trafficking in the millennium by throwing himself into music production with the formation of Uneek Music. He was reportedly instrumental in launching the career of deceased rapper Nipsey Hussle. Simultaneously he started his nonprofit and publicly dedicated himself to improving the community.
Henley turned himself in on March 20, taking time to record a denial of these charges on Instagram and YouTube “…they’re saying all that stuff to assassinate my character,” he insisted in the video, while reiterating his dedication.
“This 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.”
In this, Henley has advocates within the neighborhood who vouch for his attempts at “increasing the peace,” often against the ulterior wishes of law enforcement. Henley’s participation in pacification goes back to the days of the late NFL legend Jim Brown’s Amer-I-Can diversion program.
Two of these advocates spoke on condition of anonymity days after the indictment. “The FBI knows that gang truces do not work,” anonymous person explained.
In the process of these mediations, the back and forth actually aggravates hostilities among the more immature “knuckleheads” within rival groups to the point where they revert back to violence once they hit the streets.
This comes from second hand information from Henley’s experiences. “The shot callers come to these meetings, and they finally see what they look like and after the meeting it’s a target on the shot caller’s back.”
In the wake of these proceedings scores of more allegations, denials, gossip, rebuttals, and rumors have surfaced around the defendants and their associates.
These include fraudulent appropriation of COVID-19 grants and loans spread out during the pandemic. These latest legal proceedings also shed light on a little known practice within the hip hop industry, the act of “checking in.”
The process of the “check-in” involves athletes, rappers, or other high profile individuals within these social circles giving a “heads up” to significant persons of a given city when visiting their turf. This may be done as a courtesy, or a sign of respect.
Prosecutors affiliated with Operation Draw Down are saying that Henley mandated “visitors” pay him a set fee as insurance against being robbed or physically harmed while in Los Angeles.
Further claims have him extorting money to the tune of five-figures from the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green. This money came in the form of donations to Henley’s nonprofit and youth sports teams to be used to uplift the community. Instead, Henley is said to have transferred these funds to his own personal accounts.
