Trial Date Is Set for Rams Player, Ex-Cheerleader in Cocaine Case
A February trial date was set Tuesday for Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darryl Henley and an ex-Rams cheerleader who face federal charges they helped run a nationwide cocaine ring.
Henley, 27, and Tracy Ann Donaho, 20, have pleaded not guilty to possessing cocaine and conspiring to operate a narcotics network. They are among seven defendants named in a federal indictment, including three men accused of threatening to kill Henley when he allegedly refused to return money from a drug deal.
Outside court, defense attorney Carl Douglas said he expects Henley will be exonerated at his trial, which is set to begin Feb. 1.
“Certainly, when all the facts are examined, it will be clear that he is the real victim here,” Douglas said, adding that Henley continues to fear for his safety. “He has been mortified at all these slanderous allegations against him . . . he is innocent of the charges.”
Defense attorneys for Henley say they will seek to have their client’s case severed from the remaining defendants, although prosecutors indicated Tuesday that they will oppose such a move. Donaho’s defense attorney did not comment after the brief court hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Taylor.
Gerald L. Chaleff, another Henley attorney, declined to comment on reports that Donaho is assisting authorities in their case against Henley and the other co-defendants. Chaleff only noted that defendants who turn government witness are not always truthful.
Donaho has told authorities that she believed she was transporting large sums of money--not drugs--for Henley, who has a home in Brea and is currently on a leave of absence from the Rams.
Defendants Rafael Bustamante, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga; Alejandro Figueroa Cuevas, 30, of West Covina; and James Timothy Saenz, 31, of Covina, have pleaded not guilty to charges they threatened to kill Henley. Two other men, Gary West, 30, of Memphis, who remains in a Tennessee prison on unrelated charges, and Willie Haghey McGowan, 30, of Duarte, whose whereabouts is unknown, are also charged in the case.
Henley and Donaho face life prison terms if convicted of all charges.
