Federal prosecutors have added seven felony counts against Eugene "Big U" Henley Jr., the music label owner and alleged Rollin' 60s Crips figure who has been in federal custody since his arrest last year.
The most serious of the new allegations is that Henley tried to arrange an attack on a witness while awaiting trial. Nothing here has been proven: these are charges in a superseding indictment, Henley has not been convicted of them, and he is presumed innocent.
What the new counts allege
The superseding indictment adds two counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, two counts of tampering with a witness, victim or informant, one count of conspiracy to transport an individual across state lines for prostitution, and two counts of wire fraud, according to the charging document as reported by ABC7.
On the witness allegations, prosecutors say that in June, Henley asked two inmates housed with him about the layout of the unit where he believed a witness was being held, and offered to pay them to kill or harm that person to stop them from testifying against him or others in his alleged organization.
The prostitution count concerns conduct prosecutors date to late 2022 and early 2023, alleging Henley sent a co-defendant, Armani Aflleje, $1,000 by Zelle to rent vehicles used to move women across state lines, followed by a further $500. The wire fraud counts include a COVID-19 disaster loan application that prosecutors say contained false statements about his business, Celebrity Socks.
The underlying case
The new counts attach to a case that has been running since March 2025, when a federal grand jury returned a 43-count indictment charging Henley with a racketeering conspiracy along with robbery, extortion, wire fraud and embezzlement. Prosecutors allege Henley ran what they call the "Big U Enterprise."
Henley, 59, was ordered held in federal custody in April 2025. He is scheduled to stand trial in February 2027.
The defense
Henley's attorney, Peter Johnson, said his client "maintains his innocence and looks forward to addressing these allegations at trial, where the facts, not headlines, will control." Johnson said the defense would "continue to defend him vigorously and ask that the public respect the presumption of innocence and his right to a fair trial."
That request is worth taking seriously, and not only as a formality. A superseding indictment is the government's account of what it intends to prove. It is written by prosecutors, it is not tested by cross-examination, and a grand jury hears only one side. Everything above is an allegation until a jury says otherwise.
What happens next
Henley is expected to be arraigned on the new counts, at which point a plea will be entered. The February 2027 trial date covers Henley and several co-defendants together, and adding counts this close to a complex multi-defendant trial frequently produces defense motions over timing and severance. Whether the new charges move that date is the first thing to watch.
