Henley Is Found Guilty

Ram cornerback Darryl Henley was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to run a nationwide cocaine ring after jurors said they had wrestled for four days with the question of how such a success could get caught up in a life of crime.

Henley and four co-defendants, among them his uncle, were found guilty of drug conspiracy and possession charges. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

The 28-year-old football player bowed his head and bit his lip as the verdict was read in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

“He was stunned,” defense attorney Gerald Chaleff said. “We were all stunned.”

Chaleff said Henley will appeal the verdict.

One juror wept as he walked from the courthouse. Several said they hated to send a young, successful man to a federal penitentiary, but had found the prosecution’s case convincing.

“I feel bad,” said juror Shawn O’Reilly, a 41-year-old truck driver. “I don’t like to see anyone go to jail. But you deal in misery. Cocaine ruins a lot of lives.”

“Why would someone so successful get involved in something like this?” said a juror named Dave, who declined to reveal his last name. “That was the No. 1 reason people had a hard time. . . . The guy was making upward of $600,000 a year.”

Henley’s former teammates and coaches greeted the news with disbelief.

“I’m speechless,” safety Anthony Newman said. “When I walked in the door and found out, it was like my heart had broken in half. I don’t stand up for anybody dealing in drugs or anything like that, but Darryl is like a brother to me and I don’t believe he had anything to do with it. And that’s what I will believe until the day I die.”

Joe Vitt, former Ram assistant coach and now linebacker coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, said he felt sick.

“No matter what the verdict, based on my personal dealings with him, I still have tremendous respect for him,” Vitt said. “I always found the guy to be extremely dependable. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.”

Prosecutors alleged that Henley helped mastermind a drug network that extended from his Brea home to Memphis, Tenn., and Atlanta.

Also convicted Tuesday on conspiracy and possession charges were:

--His uncle, Rex Henley, 31, of Rancho Cucamonga, who allegedly wrapped the cocaine in the suitcases and helped get couriers to the airport;

--Willie McGowan, 31, of Duarte, who was accused of pulling the deals together.

--Ralph Bustamante, 28, also of Rancho Cucamonga, who allegedly supplied the cocaine.

--Garey West, 26, of Memphis, who allegedly sold the drugs.

All face minimum mandatory sentences of 10 years in federal prison, but Bustamante and West also face additional time because of prior drug convictions. Sentencing is set for June 12 before U.S. District Judge Gary Taylor.

Henley could face more than 10 years in prison depending on Taylor’s judgment as to whether Henley played a key role in the drug conspiracy and the amount of cocaine involved, attorneys said. He could also face up to $4 million in fines.

Prosecutors accused him of using his fame to persuade a 19-year-old Ram cheerleader, Tracy Donaho, to carry the suitcases of cocaine.

Donaho, who was arrested in an Atlanta airport in July of 1993, carrying 25 pounds of cocaine, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport cocaine and agreed to become a key government witness during the trial. She testified that Henley, whom she had been dating for several months, paid her $1,000 to carry a suitcase to Memphis and another to Atlanta. She said she made the trips at Henley’s urging.

Henley was free this year to negotiate a new deal with any team because his contract with the Rams has expired. He could have drawn as much as $8 million over the next five years, NFL insiders said.

Telephone records for more than 79 calls through the spring, summer and fall of 1993 also connected Henley to the other defendants in the case, prosecutors said.

Henley’s attorneys said Henley was the victim of a “big con” by friends who took advantage of his name and generosity with his home, cars, and phones to run a cocaine ring out of his home without his knowledge.

Juror O’Reilly said phone records that showed frequent calls from Henley’s home to the other defendants’ convincingly linked Henley with them.

“It’s not an easy decision,” another juror said. “The decision you make, you got to live with the rest of your life.”

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Times staff writer Lee Romney contributed to this report.