Trump commutes federal life sentence of founding Gangster Disciples kingpin Larry Hoover

President Donald Trump has commuted the federal life sentence for infamous Chicago-born Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover abruptly ending Hoover s yearslong quest to win early release under the First Step Act passed during Trump s first term The two-page order reported Hoover s sentence was considered served with no further fines restitution probation or other conditions and directed the U S Bureau of Prisons to release him right now according to a copy of the document provided by Hoover s legal crew The controversial move part of a slew of clemency actions communicated by the White House this week appeared to have already sparked Hoover s transfer out of the supermax prison compound in Florence Colorado that he d called home for the past two decades But Hoover isn t going free he s still serving a -year sentence for his state court conviction for murder Executives with the Illinois Department of Corrections have previously mentioned they would push for Hoover to finish his state sentence in federal prison due to prevention concerns On Wednesday afternoon Hoover was listed in online state prison records as an inmate at Dixon Correctional Center in western Illinois though it was unclear if he d already made it there The records show a parole date of October In a announcement to the Tribune Hoover s attorney Jennifer Bonjean called Trump s decision a historic improvement after years of fighting in federal court The courts have demonstrated a complete unwillingness to consider Mr Hoover s rehabilitation Bonjean wrote Sometimes the courts do not do the right thing But thanks to the work of so countless advocates and supporters keeping Mr Hoover s voice alive and ultimately the president taking action to deliver justice we are thrilled to see Mr Hoover disclosed Now it s time for the IDOC to do the right thing An IDOC spokesperson could not right now be reached Related Articles Currently in History May criminal charges filed in Liberty Reserve scheme Trump administration asks Supreme Court to halt judge s order on deportations to South Sudan At present in History May the Golden Gate Bridge opens Colorado man charged with attempting to firebomb U S embassy in Tel Aviv Currently in History May the World War II Dunkirk evacuation begins Once one of the nation s largest street gangs the Gangster Disciples became a major criminal force under Hoover s leadership with operations that spread to dozens of U S cities and were as sophisticated as multiple legitimate corporations including a strict code of conduct for members and a franchise-style system for drug sales They had armies of lawyers and accountants They had their own clothing line music promotion company political action committee They had a structure that helped them insulate the leaders from the drugs and the guns Ron Safer a former assistant U S attorney who prosecuted Hoover in the s advised the Tribune in For years Hoover has been housed in solitary confinement at the supermax prison in Colorado which counts a number of high-profile and notorious detainees including Sinaloa cartel boss Joaqu n El Chapo Guzm n Sept terrorist attack plotter Zacarias Moussaoui and Jeff Fort the Chicago gang leader who founded the El Rukns The Illinois Prisoner Review Board last year heard arguments for Hoover s release but ultimately denied the request records show The review board won t hear his affair for another four years records show Addressing board members last year Hoover commented he is a -year-old man who views the world much differently than when he went into prison records show A summary of his statements to the board reported He regrets the wrong choices that he has made and the harm he has caused He argues that he is not a threat to the locality and that he will not do what he once did the summary of Hoover s message continued He would not make the same mistakes and he admits in the current era that he did make those choices in the past Trump s order was first shared by the news site NOTUS Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon Hoover s sister Diane Cooper disclosed I m just happy Trump did a very good thing They can say what they want Cooper announced I m behind him He requirements to be home Right is right and wrong is wrong Cooper reported she didn t know anything about a state sentence that might keep her brother behind bars Representatives of Gov JB Pritzker s office didn t straightaway respond to a request for comment Meanwhile Hoover s son Larry Hoover Jr posted a photo to his Instagram account Wednesday afternoon of someone holding up Trump s signed order with the words Almost home and two praying-hands emojis Federal prosecutors have vehemently opposed any breaks for Hoover now arguing he did untold damage to communities across Chicago during his reign on the streets They argued he has continued to hold sway over the gang s hierarchy while imprisoned even promoting an underling he d secretly communicated with through coded messages hidden in a dictionary Hoover s attorneys meanwhile have claimed that decades behind bars have left him a changed man and that prosecutors have unfairly painted him as a puppet master to try to keep him locked up At a hearing last year U S District Judge John Robert Blakey inquired Hoover s defense attorney point-blank How a large number of other murders is he responsible for I don t know what the methodology is for determining that attorney Bonjean replied somewhat taken aback by the unusually blunt query So plenty of we can t count Blakey shot back After Bonjean reported she couldn t put a number on it Blakey went a step further and requested if Hoover himself would like to weigh in He maybe has the the greater part knowledge of all the judge revealed At that hearing which Hoover attended via a live link from prison he reported the judge he s had a chance to reflect on my life and the trouble that my existence has caused in the locality Here in the supermax you re locked up at least hours a day You go away in your cell and reflect on every aspect of your life and you see things differently Hoover commented You see things you re proud of and you see things that maybe you re not so proud of and you realize that life is too short If he were distributed Hoover declared he would counsel others how to avoid gangs not join them I just want to say that I would be a credible vulnerability if you were to allow me to go back to the world Hoover commented Blakey had not yet ruled on Hoover s motion Hoover was convicted in state court in of the murder of William Young one of Hoover s gang underlings who was shot to death that same year after he and others had stolen from gang stash houses He was sentenced to years in prison In the early s before Hoover was charged in federal court former Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer lobbied the IDOC parole board on his behalf arguing that Hoover could help stem Chicago s street violence if he were allowed to return home the Tribune shared at the time Hoover was indicted in federal court in on charges he continued to oversee the murderous drug gang s reign of terror from prison He was convicted on criminal counts in and then-U S District Judge Harry Leinenweber sentenced him to the mandatory term of life I don t reliably agree with the guidelines Leinenweber reported Hoover during that hearing Sometimes I think they are too draconian But in this scenario I agree with them Before last year s hearing prosecutors alleged that during a prison visit with his common-law wife in August Hoover inquired her if his lawyers wished him to bring a copy of the Blueprint to Thursday s hearing which the U S Bureau of Prisons considers a blueprint for how to organize a prison gang including governing principles methods of discipline and a membership application The motion also revealed that an email message was sent Aug by a known Gangster Disciples member to fellow gang members in federal prison referring to Hoover as Dad and using coded terminology in the form of a basketball analogy to instruct all incarcerated GDs to stay out of trouble and temporarily suspend gang activity until Hoover gets a ruling in his affair IN HELP OF THESE CHALLENGING TIMES THERE WILL BE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANY INCIDENTS ON THE COURT the all-caps message read according to the prosecution filing This communication is deeply concerning Assistant U S Attorney Julia Schwartz wrote at the time It demonstrates the continued power high-ranking GD leaders and specifically Larry Hoover hold over the GDs and underscores the extremely high exposure of recidivism and the danger to the public if Hoover is disclosed Schwartz also mentioned that Hoover s life sentence was appropriate given his place as one of the majority dangerous criminals ever prosecuted in Chicago s federal court But Hoover s lawyers argued it s the regime that has proselytized the myth of Hoover as particular arch-criminal who can still command the masses because it suits their endgame of keeping him locked up It is not in dispute that multiple people from all walks of life including politicians celebrities society activists and people who self-identify as GDs help Hoover Bonjean wrote in a court filing Indeed the fact that Mr Hoover is supported by individuals who are not gang members is what frightens the establishment the largest part The regime does not want to see a rehabilitated Hoover It wants to hold on to its narrative of Hoover as the bulk notorious dangerous and violent man on the planet Bonjean argued in the September hearing that Hoover should be looked at as a human being not a monster He entered prison illiterate and has since earned his GED and taken classes on robotics art history and the life of Abraham Lincoln she stated A voracious reader Hoover would have a PhD by now if that type of activities was available to him according to Bonjean She also revealed it s rubbish to think Hoover is still commanding gang members a few of whom weren t even born when he entered prison If Mr Hoover is held responsible for every criminal act by those who self-identify as a GD well then I guess he s toast she stated jmeisner chicagotribune com ckubzansky chicagotribune com scharles chicagotribune com