A federal judge has given US Marshals permission to remove Big U from his cell by force if he refuses to attend court. The order, signed by US District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha and obtained by Complex, followed word that Eugene Henley Jr would not leave the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles for a 9am hearing on 17 September.
The wording is short and unambiguous: marshals were to produce the defendant in Courtroom 6B forthwith, using "all reasonable force and restraints necessary" to get him there.
Two limits came with it. Deputies were told not to take any step that could put Henley at risk because of a medical condition, and they had to read him the order first and give him one final chance to come voluntarily. The authorisation does not mean force was used; it means it was available if he kept refusing.
The hearing he was avoiding was not a trivial one. It concerned an emergency request by his own attorneys to withdraw from representing him. His defence has previously described working through more than 1.1 million pieces of evidence, including thousands of surveillance videos and tens of thousands of intercepted phone calls.
Henley, 59, has been in federal custody since his arrest in March 2025. Prosecutors accuse the longtime music executive, who managed Nipsey Hussle and Kurupt, of being a figure within the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips. He denies the government's allegations. The case began as a 43-count indictment and grew through a superseding indictment adding solicitation to commit a crime of violence, witness tampering, wire fraud and a conspiracy count involving transporting a person for prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to the added charges in August.
His custody has been litigated before. A magistrate judge denied him bail in April 2025, citing concerns about obstruction and witness intimidation.
The September order is not a one-off. It stays in effect for future proceedings unless the court modifies it, which means the marshals keep the authority for the rest of a case that is not due to reach trial until 16 February 2027. A friend of his said in August that Henley was ready for the fight; the immediate fight, for now, is about whether he shows up at all. Federal prosecutions of figures in hip-hop have been unusually busy this year, including the drug convictions that left the rapper Playa Pat facing 20 years to life.
The facts
- A federal judge authorised marshals to use force to bring Big U into court on 17 September.
- His legal name is Eugene Henley Jr and he is 59.
- He would not leave his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.
- Marshals were told not to risk his medical condition and to give a final warning first.
- The hearing concerned his lawyers' emergency request to withdraw from the case.
- The defence says it is working through more than 1.1 million pieces of evidence.
- Henley has been in federal custody since his arrest in March 2025.
- His trial is scheduled for 16 February 2027.
How this checks out
Single source
Reported by a single outlet
Only one outlet has reported it so far, so it stays a single source.
Cited sources 1
Every outlet that reported this, linked to what it published. Equal credits, in alphabetical order.