Federal Jury Adds Witness-Tampering Charges to Henley

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has returned a superseding indictment against Eugene "Big U" Henley Jr., adding seven new felony charges including solicitation of violence and witness tampering, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The new indictment alleges that Henley, a South Los Angeles community figure and music entrepreneur already awaiting trial on racketeering charges, offered to pay two fellow inmates last month to kill or harm a potential government witness.

Henley, 59, has been in federal custody since his arrest in March 2025. He was initially charged with running a criminal enterprise, referred to as the "Big U Enterprise," that prosecutors describe as a mafia-like organization involved in murder, extortion, kidnapping, and human trafficking. The new charges include two counts each of solicitation to commit a crime of violence and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant, as well as one count of conspiracy to transport individuals for prostitution and two counts of wire fraud.

According to the indictment, on June 10, Henley inquired about the layout of a housing unit within a detention facility where he believed a witness was being held. He...