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Big U Indicted on New Charges for Alleged Jailhouse Plot to Kill Federal Witness

Prosecutors say the filing shows an effort to silence a witness and deepens a racketeering case that alleges a mafia-like criminal enterprise.

Overview

  • A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, adding seven felony counts that include solicitation to commit a crime of violence and witness tampering.
  • Prosecutors allege that in June 2026 Henley, while in federal custody, asked about the layout of a housing unit and offered to pay two inmates to kill or injure a federal witness who is expected to testify against him.
  • Henley has been in federal custody since March 2025, has pleaded not guilty, and is scheduled to stand trial in February 2027 alongside six co-defendants.
  • The new filing folds into a long-running racketeering case that accuses Henley’s so-called Big U Enterprise of murder, kidnapping, extortion, robbery and fraud, including alleged diversion of charity donations from public figures into personal accounts.
  • The charges raise questions about witness safety, how prosecutors handle alleged organized-gang influence from jail, and the contrast between Henley’s public role as a gang interventionist and prosecutors’ portrayal of him as a gang-linked kingpin.