Latest news with #commutation
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
From Hunter to Hoover: How clemency became a circus
The United States pardon system has been developing a bad name in recent months. It is an area where Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution gives the president essentially boundless authority: 'The President shall … have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.' Normally, though, aware of the controversial nature of unilaterally declaring that someone facing criminal charges should be freed, the president exercises this authority in the waning days of a term – there are 10 weeks after a November presidential election and the new president's inauguration in January, when the incumbent has either been voted out, or is headed into retirement. Either way, there are no re-election concerns. This is significant because victims are often upset when a lengthy legal process is erased by a stroke of the White House pen. President Joe Biden followed this pattern, issuing more commutations in his final days than any other chief executive in history. Consistent with his Catholic faith, he almost cleared federal death row, commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned prisoners. But he courted the most dissent when he annulled the convictions of his son Hunter, before preemptively pardoning other family members for imagined offences for which they would likely never have faced trial. It was all tinged with nepotism, using his constitutional power for those close to him. On his heels came President Donald Trump. As with so many of his actions in his first 100 days, Trump was acting as if he were already running out of time. He had barely taken the oath of office before he issued 1,600 pardons to those said to be guilty of insurrection in the often-violent storming of the Capitol in 2021. Sure enough, this provoked outrage among some and was characterised by the chief of the Capitol Police as a 'slap in the face' to all his officers. Trump has since continued his spate of pardons. Some are fairly predictable: 21 of his recent grants concerned the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act, a law that prohibits violence, intimidation, and interference with individuals seeking or providing reproductive health services – generally, then, people picketing abortion clinics. Here, he was courting the anti-abortion rights wing of MAGA. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement that Trump is 'always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system'. As a principle, this is fair enough, but normally there must be some evidence of remorse and rehabilitation. This week, in contrast, he pardoned Scott Jenkins, a longtime supporter and former Sheriff who had been found guilty in 2024 of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for making several businessmen into official law enforcement agents. 'Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL,' Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network. Yet Jenkins had merely been dragged through the US trial system, like millions of others, and he had not even turned himself in to start his sentence. Then there was the Reality TV couple, Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted in 2022 for defrauding banks of more than $36m by submitting false bank statements and other records. They spent their ill-gotten gains on luxury cars and travel, and it is difficult to see what they did to merit special treatment. Which brings us to the latest case, that of Larry Hoover, the notorious founder of the Chicago Gangster Disciples, convicted of ordering the murder of a rival, along with a laundry list of other offences. Prosecutors did not even bother to bring many cases to trial. Indeed, at a hearing last year, a judge asked one of Hoover's lawyers: 'How many other murders is he responsible for?' Trump commuted his federal sentence, which is unlikely to achieve much more than to transfer him to the less pleasant Illinois prison, where he must serve 200 years on a state murder conviction. What does this achieve, and what was the president's motive for doing it? One particularly odd element of these pardons is that CBS News reports that many of the beneficiaries had not even made a formal application. Trump just reached out and acted on his own. In some instances, he seems to have been relying on what he saw on television. He has said he is considering clemency for those convicted in the 2020 conspiracy to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the state government. 'I did watch the trial,' he said. 'It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job…' Even if it is currently sometimes corrupt, or simply arbitrary, I would not abolish the president's prerogative of mercy. I am in favour of considering second chances in all cases, for as a society we are much too punitive. But if citizens are to maintain any sense of respect for the judicial system, there should be a degree of consistency. Indeed, due process means that there is a process, and it should be followed. I filed a compelling 76,000 word clemency petition in the case of Aafia Siddiqui before Christmas, which Biden dismissed on January 20 without addressing any of the grounds – her innocence, the CIA's abduction of his children, the fact that she had been tortured in US custody, and the sexual abuse she faces in prison today. Then, this week, my octogenarian former death row client, Clarence Smith, passed away in federal prison. He had been denied compassionate release even though he was terminally ill, was again patently innocent and had proved himself to be a model prisoner: He had, in his forty-one years in the penitentiary, only been given one disciplinary punishment, for the heinous offence of making his prison bed before being told to do so. Let us therefore keep an eye on how the president's immense power is used (or abused), and perhaps consider imposing some rules of transparency upon him. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
What to know about onetime Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, whose federal sentence Trump commuted
CHICAGO (AP) — One of Chicago's most infamous gang leaders is among the people to receive commutations this week from President Donald Trump, a puzzling move that has raised questions about whether Larry Hoover will be freed. The 74-year-old Hoover, who has received support from celebrities like rapper Ye and inspired popular rap lyrics, has been serving a life sentence at the nation's most restrictive prison in Colorado. He was first imprisoned in Illinois for a 1973 murder and convicted decades later in federal court for running a criminal enterprise while behind bars. Trump's move commutes the federal sentence of the former kingpin and prison entrepreneur. However, Hoover must still serve his lengthy Illinois sentence. Hoover's supporters say they are working on ways to get Hoover paroled or pardoned in Illinois, but questions linger about his chances and even where he will be imprisoned. Notorious gang leader works behind bars Hoover was a founder of the Gangster Disciples more than 50 years ago, which remains one of Chicago's most notorious street gangs. At its height under Hoover's leadership, the gang generated about $100 million each year in cocaine and heroin sales, according to federal prosecutors. 'He was the undisputed head of the organization. He ran it. Everybody reported to him,' said Ron Safer, a former U.S. assistant attorney who led the prosecution of Hoover. 'The Gangster Disciples were monolithic, ruthlessly efficient.' Hoover ordered the death of a gang member in 1973 and was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to 150 to 200 years in a state prison. But prosecutors say that didn't stop him from spreading the gang's vast influence. For more than two decades, he ran the Gangster Disciples from behind bars, expanding it to chapters in more than two dozen states. He was eventually charged with dozens of federal crimes, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. A federal jury found him guilty in 1997. He was sentenced to life the following year and sent to the 'supermax' prison in Florence, Colorado, where he has spent years in solitary confinement. Prison entrepreneur tries politics Hoover has left a prominent mark on pop culture, launching a jail-inspired fashion line, starting a political action committee and inspiring rap lyrics. In 1995, he began his 'Ghetto Prisoner' fashion line in hopes of having a positive influence on young people. 'All kids in the ghetto can associate with the idea of prisoners and being treated like prisoners,″ he told The Associated Press in a 1995 phone interview from the Dixon Correctional Center in Illinois. 'I'm hoping that it will wake them up and help them understand that we have to come together as a people and stop being sectarian.' Supporters said his political action committee, 21st Century V.O.T.E., inspired thousands to protest outside Chicago City Hall in the 1990s. His name was further memorialized in one of rapper Rick Ross' most famous songs, the 2010 single 'B.M.F.,' which was an ode to Hoover's power and influence. Rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, and Drake were among the celebrities who championed Hoover's early release. West pleaded Hoover's case to Trump during a bizarre Oval Office meeting in 2018. Three years later, Drake and Ye headlined a 'Free Larry Hoover' benefit concert in Los Angeles to help call attention to prison reforms. Hoover's chances for freedom Trump's move confused many, including Safer, who said the commutation was 'extremely disappointing' given the years of trauma, drug addiction and lives lost in gang wars. 'There are some crimes that are so heinous and so extraordinary that they do not qualify for mercy,' Safer said. Hoover's many previous attempts for a sentence reduction or parole have been swiftly rejected, including a federal judge denying Hoover's request for a lower sentence in 2021. Last year, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board unanimously rejected his bid for parole and before that in 2022 with a 10-1 vote. Attorneys have said Hoover became a symbol of gang culture, making it hard for courts to consider resentencing him, but that Hoover has since denounced gangs and is a changed man. For instance, Hoover was illiterate when he entered prison and has since taught himself, earned his GED certificate and taken classes on robotics and art history. Hoover remains eligible for parole in Illinois and has a hearing later this year. 'He's not responsible for all gang violence that ever has occurred,' said attorney Jennifer Bonjean. She and others say they will push Gov. JB Pritzker to pardon Hoover, arguing that Hoover received a disproportionate sentence. Hoover's co-defendants have received reduced sentences, clemency or already been released. 'There is no purpose in returning a 74-year-old man in failing health to prison after 52 years of incarceration,' said a joint statement from attorneys Joshua Dubin and Justin Moore. 'Justice demands that Mr. Hoover's time be considered served.' Pritzker declined comment Thursday. Hoover's family celebrated the commutation. 'Almost home!' his son Larry Hoover Jr. wrote on Instagram and posted a picture toasting his father. While Trump said Hoover should be 'released immediately,' it was unclear if or when Hoover would be moved out of the federal facility. Federal prison officials confirmed Thursday that Hoover remained imprisoned in Colorado and determining a new release date would involve 'additional research and auditing.' Illinois officials declined to discuss the case. 'The Illinois Department of Corrections does not comment on the timing or details of transfers from federal facilities to state facilities and has no additional information to share at this time,' agency spokeswoman Naomi Puzzello said in statement. ___ Associated Press writer Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.
Wall Street Journal
29-05-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Grants Clemency to Over Two Dozen, Including Former Gang Leader
President Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than two dozen people in recent days, including former lawmakers, reality-television stars and a one-time gang leader convicted of murder. The White House didn't provide details on the president's decision.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Donald Trump commutes sentence of former Chicago gang leader
Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, a former Chicago gang leader, who had been serving multiple life sentences for more than five decades. Hoover, 74, is the co-founder of Gangster Disciples, a gang described in court documents as 'large and vicious' that sold 'great quantities of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs in Chicago'. He was convicted in 1973 for ordering the killing of a 19-year-old neighborhood drug dealer and given a sentence of 150 to 200 years. In 1997, he was given six life sentences after being found guilty of federal drug conspiracy, extortion, money laundering and continuing to engage in a criminal enterprise. He has been serving out his sentence at ADX Florence prison facility in Fremont county, Colorado. The commutation, first reported by Notus, was confirmed by a White House official. Hoover renounced his criminal past and has made repeated requests to shorten his sentence, including under the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill passed during Trump's first term. 'I'm a completely different person than the man who went to prison in 1997,' Hoover told a court in 2024. At a court hearing last year, Hoover's lawyers said he had 'virtually no contact with the outside world' for more than two decades and 'spends 23 hours a day in a concrete cell no larger than a parking space'. Hoover was the subject of a 2021 'Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert' organized by rappers Kanye West and Drake.
Free Malaysia Today
06-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Activists renew plea for Singapore to spare Pannir
Activists gathered outside the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur tonight to urge the Singaporean government to commute Malaysian P Pannir Selvam's death sentence. KUALA LUMPUR : A group of about 20 activists have renewed calls for the Malaysian government, as Asean chair, to urge Singapore to commute Malaysian P Pannir Selvam's death sentence. Members of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan), Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and Amnesty International Malaysia gathered outside the Singapore High Commission here tonight, where they held placards and chanted slogans such as 'Give Pannir a second chance', 'Abolish the death penalty' and 'Free Pannir'. Pannir, a 38-year-old who was sentenced to death in 2017 after being convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore, will appear before the Singapore Court of Appeal at 10am tomorrow for a post-appeal application hearing. Adpan project officer Janice Ananthan urged the Malaysian government to protect its citizens abroad. 'Malaysia has reformed some of our death penalty laws. As Asean chair and Pannir's home country, we call on the government to act,' she said at the rally. Amnesty International campaigner Qistina Johari said Pannir's sister was in Singapore for the hearing, while his parents were in Ipoh. The group also called on the Singapore government to 'end the cruel and inhuman punishment' of the death penalty. NGOs have previously urged Singapore to commute Pannir's sentence and impose a moratorium on executions. Pannir was convicted on June 27, 2017 of trafficking in 51.84gm of diamorphine through the Woodlands checkpoint on Sept 3, 2014. Pannir, who was given a package by a Malaysian to be handed over to a Singaporean man once he arrived in the republic, has consistently denied knowing that the package contained drugs. On Feb 19, he was granted a stay of execution by the Court of Appeal just hours before his scheduled execution. Pannir was also granted a stay of execution in 2019.
