Ex-Ram Henley’s Brother Gets 5-Year Prison Term

A federal judge on Monday sentenced the brother of ex-Los Angeles Ram Darryl Henley to five years in prison for his role in a drug conspiracy arranged by the former professional football player.

Henley pleaded guilty last fall to trying to set up a $1-million heroin deal to finance a murder-for-hire scheme from his jail cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

With a cellular phone obtained from a jail guard, Henley tried to pull off the drug deal and arrange the murders of U.S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor--who had presided over Henley’s earlier cocaine trafficking trial--and his former girlfriend, an ex-Rams cheerleader.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James M. Ideman ordered Eric Henley, 27, to serve at least 30 months in prison and he recommended that, as a first-time offender, he be admitted into a federal prison boot camp if officials determine he is eligible.

Ideman sentenced Jimmy Washington, 49, who also participated in the attempted drug deal, to serve 135 months in prison. The judge said he had little sympathy for Washington, who was still under supervised release from an earlier prison sentence at the time of the drug scheme, Assistant U.S. Atty. Marc Harris.

“The reduced sentence for Eric Henley reflects all the evidence indicating he was brought into this by his brother,” Harris said. “Mr. Washington received a much harsher sentence given his criminal history.”

Rodney Anderson, the prison guard, who was found guilty of plotting the contract murders with Henley, is due to be sentenced Feb. 10, and Henley is expected to be sentenced in March, Harris said.