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Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Larry Hoover's Pardon Puts Spotlight on Atlanta's Own Gangster Disciples History
The news of Larry Hoover's pardon by President Donald Trump on Wednesday cast a shadow over Atlanta's own history with the Gangster Disciples. For the past few years, Atlanta's top elected officials and law enforcement officers have engaged in concerted efforts to combat gang violence and recruitment throughout the city. Their fight may have taken on a new layer with Trump commuting the federal sentence of the notorious Chicago gang leader. Hoover's Gangster Disciples are one of the largest gangs in America, with factions throughout the country, including in metro Atlanta. 'My number one focus is targeting gangs. They are committing, conservatively, 75 to 80% of all of the violent crime that we are seeing within our community,' Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said to reporters in 2022 following her office's indictment of Atlanta-rappers Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 others for their alleged participation in YSL, an alleged criminal street gang. Hoover was convicted on federal RICO charges in 1998 for directing the Gangster Disciples — the gang he founded — from his Illinois prison cell, where he had been incarcerated on murder charges since 1973. After his conviction, he was transferred to ADX Florence in Colorado, the highest security federal prison in the country. Just last year, three Georgians affiliated with Hoover's gang — a man from Atlanta, a man from Stone Mountain, and a woman from Athens — were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a gang-retribution killing that left three men dead. According to prosecutors in the Justice Department, the men were high ranking members of the Gangster Disciples and the woman was a leader of the gang's female arm, Sisters of the Struggle. When federal prosecutors went after the Gangster Disciples back in 2016, they indicted 38 high-ranking members on racketeering charges. While some of the co-defendants were from across the country, 22 were Georgia residents and 15 lived in metro Atlanta. One was a former DeKalb County police officer who was caught on recorded phone calls relaying sensitive law enforcement information to the gang's 'chief enforcer.' Another Atlanta co-defendant testified at his trial that Georgia-based rapper Rick Ross allegedly paid $3 million to the Gangster Disciples for using Hoover's name in his 2010 single 'B.M.F (Blowin' Money Fast).' Though hip-hop was invented just a month before Hoover's incarceration began in 1973, he has remained a popular figure to name check in lyrics over the years. The day Hoover's pardon was announced, Ross and Atlanta rapper Offset both posted pictures of Hoover on their Instagram stories. NBC attributes Hoover's sentence commutation by Trump to Atlanta-born, Chicago-raised rapper Kanye West, who thanked Trump on X for commuting the federal sentence when the news broke. Despite Trump's pardon, Hoover, 74, will remain behind bars on state charges for a murder conviction for which he was sentenced to serve 200 years in 1973. He is eligible for parole since he was convicted five years before Illinois abolished discretionary parole. The Illinois Department of Corrections lists Hoover's projected parole date as Oct. 25, 2062, which would be one month before his 112th birthday. The post Larry Hoover's Pardon Puts Spotlight on Atlanta's Own Gangster Disciples History appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everything You Need to Know About Larry Hoover, the Chicago Gang Leader Trump Just Granted Clemency
As part of his most recent clemency actions, President Donald Trump commuted the federal sentence of one of the most notorious crime bosses in history. Larry Hoover has been locked behind bars since the '70s, and despite Trump's clemency agreement, he won't be getting out anytime soon. Outside of rapper Rick Ross' reference to the gang leader in his song 'B.M.F.' (I think I'm Big Meech, Larry Hoover), most folks don't know much about Hoover or the Gangster Disciples— one of Chicago's most powerful gangs. That's why we're breaking down everything you need to know about the now 74-year-old gangster and his complicated history with law enforcement. The Gangster Disciples (GDs) were founded in the mid '60s by Hoover and David Barksdale— known as King David. Initially, the GDs were the result of a merge between the Black Disciples and Supreme Gangsters gangs of Chicago, according to reports. After Barksdale death in 1974, Hoover took over. The gang soon grew from a ragtag team of young Black men to almost 30,000 members in Chicago alone, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Today, the Gangsters Disciples are represented in at least 35 different states, raking in $100 million in estimated annual revenue. Over the years, police linked the GDs to countless murders, robberies, extortions and drug crimes across the country. So when the state of Illinois decided to go after the gang, Hoover ultimately became the face of the enterprise. In 1973, Hoover was convicted for the murder of 19-year-old drug dealer named William 'Pooky' Young, according to court documents. He was sentenced to 150 to 200 years in prison, which many advocates argued did not justly fit the crime committed. State prosecutors saw Young's murder as the only time they'd be able to stick Hoover with crimes connected to his gang. So once they saw an opportunity to finally stop the crime boss, they threw the book at him. Despite being behind bars, Hoover was still calling the shots as the head of the GDs. This led to a joint investigation by Illinois correctional officers and the FBI and ATF in 1995. Federal sentencing for Hoover came in 1998. He was convicted on charges alleging he helped operate a widespread nationwide drug operation through the Gangster Disciples. So with conspiracy, extortion and money laundering charges, Hoover was sentenced to three life sentences. Since then, he has been housed in solitary confinement at the supermax prison in Colorado where all furniture is made of poured concrete, according to NBC Chicago. This is the same prison where Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán is located. The 74-yer-old felon might have one man to thank for the president finally hearing his case. Chicago rapper Kanye 'Ye' West began a campaign to #FreeLarryHoover in 2021. He even planned a benefit concert with Drake as a special guest. Ye gave Drizzy his props, writing on X 'Thank you Drake for for helping to bring Larry Hoover home.' He continued thanking Trump saying, 'WORDS CAN'T EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE FOR OUR DEVOTED ENDURING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FOR FREEING LARRY HOOVER.' Although Hoover's federal sentence is commuted, he still has to serve out his 200-year sentence in Illinois. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied Hoover's request for early release last year. The board won't hear his case for another four years. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Black America Web
5 days ago
- Politics
- Black America Web
Trump Commutes Sentence Of Larry Hoover, Social Media Reacts In Side Eye
Source: YouTube / CBS News Larry Hoover, a founder of the infamous Gangster Disciples street gang out of Chicago, had his life sentence commuted by Donald Trump, according to various reports. Social media reaction to the news has been a mixed bag, to say the least. On Wednesday (May 28), Trump commuted the multiple life sentences of Hoover, 74. He was imprisoned for the 1973 murder a 19-year-od named William 'Pooky' Young, who was allegedly a drug dealer. That state charge was already a 200-year sentence, then in 1997 he was sentenced to six life sentences by the Feds. Play But, it seems like being accused of running a vast criminal enterprise wasn't enough for Trump lto stay away from his case. This is just the latest of eyebrow-raising prisoner interventions from Trump that include the pardoning of reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were serving time for bank fraud and tax evasion . As for Hoover, the authorities have long accused him of running the gang while imprisoned. According to prison records, Hoover was serving his six life sentences in Colorado. Hoover's lawyer issued the following statement: 'The Courts have demonstrated a complete unwillingness to consider Mr. Hoover's considerable growth and complete rehabilitation. Despite the Court's unwillingness to do the right thing, Mr. Hoover has been able to keep his voice alive through the incredible work of many advocates and supporters. Thankfully, Mr. Hoover's pleas were heard by President Trump who took action to deliver justice for Mr. Hoover.' Now the question is if whether or not the Feds will deliver Hoover to state authorities, where he's supposed to serve the rest of his sentence, or if he'll be released outright, and when. Hoover has achieved a mythical status in urban areas and Hip-Hop circles as an antihero. Known in some circles as King Hoover, one of the most famed recent homages to him was Rick Ross' 2010 hit ''B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast),' where the Miami rapper shouted GD leader out in the chorus. Also, back in 2021 when Kanye West and Drake were still frenemies they hosted a benefit concert to raise awareness. Reactions to news of Hoover potentially getting pardoned started pouring in as soon as the news broke. Where there are many, like Chance The Rapper, who consider him a political prisoner, there are those who don't appreciate the violence he allegedly help unleash in Chicago. See some of the more poignant observations in the gallery. Keep in mind that Trump doesn't do anything out of the goodness of his heart, allegedly. Trump Commutes Sentence Of Larry Hoover, Social Media Reacts In Side Eye was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
