A Double Life Unraveled
Los Angeles—Federal authorities are hot on the trail of Eugene Henley Jr., better known as “Big U,” a 58-year-old South LA legend turned fugitive. The Hyde Park native, long a towering figure in the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, is now accused of running a “mafia-like” criminal empire that’s left a trail of chaos—murder, extortion, human trafficking, and fraud, all under the guise of a music mogul and community savior. On March 19, 2025, Henley went from a respected name to a wanted man, charged with conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
“The guy played both sides like a pro,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally at a packed press conference. “He sold himself as an anti-gang activist and music entrepreneur, but this was a violent street criminal pulling the strings on a brutal enterprise. Taking down outfits like this is why we get up in the morning—it’s about making LA safer.”
The ‘Big U’ Empire
Henley’s operation, dubbed the “Big U Enterprise,” wasn’t just a side hustle—it was a full-on underworld machine, flexing muscle since at least 2010. Feds say he used his Rollin’ 60s cred—earned in the gritty ‘80s gang wars—and ties to other crews to bully businesses and locals into submission. This wasn’t a loose gangbanger gig; it was a standalone racket dealing in robbery, sex trafficking, illegal gambling, and more.
Ten Rollin’ 60s members and associates got nabbed this week, slapped with charges like drug trafficking and gun crimes. Two of Henley’s top lieutenants—Sylvester “Vey” Robinson, 59, from Northridge, and Mark “Bear Claw” Martin, 50, from Beverlywood—were cuffed Wednesday. Four others were already locked up, and five, including Henley, are still on the run, though the feds expect to scoop up three soon. If convicted, Henley’s looking at life behind bars.
The Music Mask
To the public, Henley was a hip-hop heavyweight. Through Uneek Music, co-owned with Martin, he rubbed shoulders with stars and even helped launch Nipsey Hussle’s career. But the feds paint a darker picture. In January 2021, Henley allegedly lured an aspiring rapper, “R.W.,” to Las Vegas under the pretense of recording at a Grammy winner’s studio. When R.W. dropped a diss track aimed at Henley, it didn’t end well. Court docs say Henley drove him to North Las Vegas, shot him in the head, dumped the body off I-15, and left it in a desert ditch. Back in LA, he had surveillance footage wiped and witnesses hushed.
“He built a brand on fear,” the complaint reads. Henley leaned on social media, podcasts, and documentaries—playing the “O.G.” card—to hype his crew’s rep and keep rivals in check.
Charity or Con?
Then there’s Developing Options, Henley’s Hyde Park charity pitched as a lifeline for at-risk South LA kids. It raked in cash from celebs, athletes, and even the City of LA’s Gang Reduction Youth Development (GRYD) program—some of it federal dough. But instead of saving youth, feds say Henley funneled donations straight to his own pockets, turning a do-good front into a personal ATM. He even allegedly faked Uneek Music’s books for a $200,000 COVID-19 relief loan, claiming profits when the label was bleeding cash.
The Manhunt’s On
Henley’s not just a ghost in the streets—he surrendered late Wednesday, per the FBI, after a day as a fugitive. His arrest caps a wild 24 hours that saw 49 guns, 5 pounds of meth, 10,000 fentanyl pills, and stacks of cash seized. “This wasn’t a charity guy gone rogue,” said McNally. “This was a mob boss in a tracksuit.” For LA, it’s a gut punch—Big U’s fall strips away the mask of a man who played both saint and sinner, leaving the feds to clean up the mess.
