Latest news with #ex-House
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Notorious Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover pardoned by Trump
Larry Hoover, the famed founder of the Gangster Disciples, had his life sentence commuted Wednesday by President Trump. Though Trump used his power to clear 74-year-old Hoover of federal charges, he will remain behind bars on a state murder conviction. Hoover's case has long been a cause célèbre in the hip-hop industry. Before his pivot to Nazism, Kanye West held a 'Free Larry Hoover' concert in 2021 and gave Hoover's son, Larry Hoover Jr., a lengthy speech to advocate for his father's release on the song 'Jesus Lord.' Hoover was first arrested in 1973, convicted in the killing of William 'Pooky' Young and sentenced to 150 to 200 years in Illinois prison. A few years earlier, he co-founded the Gangster Disciples and built the operation into a drug selling powerhouse, first in Chicago and then elsewhere. Two decades later, Hoover — once declared 'one of the most notorious criminals in Illinois history' — was convicted on federal charges after he was recorded continuing to lead the group from behind bars. For that, he was sentenced to life at a supermax prison in Colorado. In recent years, Hoover has said he turned his life around in prison, taking responsibility for and renouncing his criminal past while wanting 'nothing to do' with the Gangster Disciples. Trump has pardoned several prominent figures in recent days, including tax-evading reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, corrupt former Connecticut governor John Rowland and ex-House representative Michael Grimm, a Republican from New York. Also included in the pardons was rapper NBA YoungBoy, who'd been sentenced to nearly two years in prison on federal gun charges. He was also convicted of participating in a prescription drug ring in Utah. With News Wire Services
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds want to sentence Snyder on tax charge, cancel bribery trial
Prosecutors would like to sentence former Portage Mayor James Snyder on his obstruction of the IRS charge and forgo a third trial for his bribery charge. Snyder is scheduled to go to trial for a third time in U.S. District Court in Hammond on a bribery charge involving a $13,000 payment for a garbage truck contract. Currently, the trial is set to begin on Sept. 15, according to the government's May 16 filing. Prosecutors noted the case has been pending for nearly nine years, and that Snyder 'stands convicted of the felony offense of corruptly obstructing the Internal Revenue Services' administration of the federal revenue laws,' according to court records. 'At this point, the United States believes the interests of justice are best served by proceeding to sentencing on the current count of conviction for Count 4 (the tax conviction), at which time it intends to present evidence of defendant's bribery activities as part of its presentation on the factors to be considered in imposing a sentence,' prosecutors wrote. If Snyder is sentenced on tax conviction prosecutors will move to dismiss the bribery charge after imposition of sentence. Prosecutors requested the court to set a sentencing date on the conviction charge within the next 90 days. Andrea Gambino, Snyder's attorney, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. After multiple twists, turns and delays since Snyder was indicted on Nov. 17, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Hammond on two bribery counts and one of obstructing the IRS, a jury found Snyder not guilty on a bribery count involving a towing contract and guilty on the other two counts. The second bribery conviction, over allegations surrounding a $13,000 payment involving around $1 million in contracts for garbage trucks, stood after two trials, only to get overturned last summer when the Supreme Court ruled that the payment was a gratuity, not a bribe, and criminalizing the payment put even routine campaign contributions at the risk of the federal government's wrath. Overturning Snyder's conviction had a ripple effect on countless other cases, most notably prominent cases in Illinois, including the trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan and the case of the 'ComEd Four' who were convicted of a scheme to bribe him. The high court's June 26 decision determined, among other matters, that the payment to Snyder from the Buha brothers, owners of Great Lakes Peterbilt, was a gratuity because Snyder received the money, reportedly for consulting work, after the business got the garbage truck contracts and not before. Federal prosecutors have described Snyder in their filing as 'a thoroughly corrupt public official, twice convicted by a jury of his peers for receiving a $13,000 payoff,' and note there is 'no sound legal basis' for a windfall dismissal because of an omission from jury instructions, which was one of the contentions of Snyder's attorneys. Snyder, a Republican, was first elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015, a term cut short by his federal conviction in February 2019. Snyder received a sentence of 21 months in prison for the bribery and IRS convictions and a year on supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois Still, Snyder successfully argued that the start of his sentence should be postponed until his bid to have the Supreme Court hear his case was complete. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Feds want to sentence Snyder on tax charge, cancel bribery trial
Prosecutors would like to sentence former Portage Mayor James Snyder on his obstruction of the IRS charge and forgo a third trial for his bribery charge. Snyder is scheduled to go to trial for a third time in U.S. District Court in Hammond on a bribery charge involving a $13,000 payment for a garbage truck contract. Currently, the trial is set to begin on Sept. 15, according to the government's May 16 filing. Prosecutors noted the case has been pending for nearly nine years, and that Snyder 'stands convicted of the felony offense of corruptly obstructing the Internal Revenue Services' administration of the federal revenue laws,' according to court records. 'At this point, the United States believes the interests of justice are best served by proceeding to sentencing on the current count of conviction for Count 4 (the tax conviction), at which time it intends to present evidence of defendant's bribery activities as part of its presentation on the factors to be considered in imposing a sentence,' prosecutors wrote. If Snyder is sentenced on tax conviction prosecutors will move to dismiss the bribery charge after imposition of sentence. Prosecutors requested the court to set a sentencing date on the conviction charge within the next 90 days. Andrea Gambino, Snyder's attorney, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. After multiple twists, turns and delays since Snyder was indicted on Nov. 17, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Hammond on two bribery counts and one of obstructing the IRS, a jury found Snyder not guilty on a bribery count involving a towing contract and guilty on the other two counts. The second bribery conviction, over allegations surrounding a $13,000 payment involving around $1 million in contracts for garbage trucks, stood after two trials, only to get overturned last summer when the Supreme Court ruled that the payment was a gratuity, not a bribe, and criminalizing the payment put even routine campaign contributions at the risk of the federal government's wrath. Overturning Snyder's conviction had a ripple effect on countless other cases, most notably prominent cases in Illinois, including the trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan and the case of the 'ComEd Four' who were convicted of a scheme to bribe him. The high court's June 26 decision determined, among other matters, that the payment to Snyder from the Buha brothers, owners of Great Lakes Peterbilt, was a gratuity because Snyder received the money, reportedly for consulting work, after the business got the garbage truck contracts and not before. Federal prosecutors have described Snyder in their filing as 'a thoroughly corrupt public official, twice convicted by a jury of his peers for receiving a $13,000 payoff,' and note there is 'no sound legal basis' for a windfall dismissal because of an omission from jury instructions, which was one of the contentions of Snyder's attorneys. Snyder, a Republican, was first elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015, a term cut short by his federal conviction in February 2019. Snyder received a sentence of 21 months in prison for the bribery and IRS convictions and a year on supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois Still, Snyder successfully argued that the start of his sentence should be postponed until his bid to have the Supreme Court hear his case was complete.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Va. Rep. Gerry Connolly steps aside, opening up key post eyed by AOC
Rep. Gerry Connolly Monday said he will step aside 'soon' as ranking Democratic member of the House oversight committee due to a setback in his battle with cancer, a move that will leave open a key congressional spot that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez previously made a strong bid for. 'The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,' Connolly, 75, wrote in a note to constituents. 'I will be stepping down as ranking member of the House oversight committee soon.' 'With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we've accomplished together over 30 years,' the nine-term lawmaker added. Potential candidates to succeed Connolly include Ocasio-Cortez, along with other young, outspoken and ambitious lawmakers like California representatives Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia, or Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a possible front-runner because she ran a strong race against him in an internal Democratic election for the position that is seen as a key perch to push back against the controversial second-term agenda of President Trump. She did not immediately comment on the looming vacancy on the oversight panel, which could give her an even more prominent platform to speak out against Trump and for progressive policies. Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg, a key proponent of progressive and younger Democrats, said he would back Ocasio-Cortez for the post, NewsNation reported. She lost to Connolly 131 to 84 in a secret-ballot vote at a Democratic caucus meeting last December. After the defeat, Ocasio-Cortez decided to switch to the energy and commerce committee, so it's not clear if she might try to bounce back to oversight and make a new run for the soon-to-be vacant ranking member position. The third-term lawmaker, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, has generated 2028 presidential buzz with a successful string of rallies in western red states alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Connolly took over from Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., after Raskin successfully ousted Rep. Jerry Nadler from his post as the top Democrat on the judiciary committee. Taken together, the musical chairs amounts to something of a generational changing of the guard as Democrats seek to turn the page on aging leaders like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. In the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries grabbed the reins from ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi two years ago. The intraparty feud has also hit the Democratic National Committee, where leaders are pressuring Hogg to drop a push to primary some Democratic incumbents deemed ineffective and aging. _____
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Gerry Connolly steps aside, opening up key post eyed by AOC
Rep. Gerry Connolly Monday said he will step aside 'soon' as ranking Democratic member of the House oversight committee due to a setback in his battle with cancer, a move that will leave open a key congressional spot that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez previously made a strong bid for. 'The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,' Connolly, 74, wrote in a note to constituents. 'I will be stepping down as ranking member of the House oversight committee soon.' 'With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we've accomplished together over 30 years,' the term lawmaker added. Potential candidates to succeed Connolly include Ocasio-Cortez, along with other young, outspoken and ambitious lawmakers like California representatives Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia, or Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a possible frontrunner because she ran a strong race against him in an internal Democratic election for the position that is seen as a key perch to push back against the controversial second-term agenda of President Trump. She did not immediately comment on the looming vacancy on the oversight panel, which could give her an even more prominent platform to speak out against Trump and for progressive policies. She lost to Connolly 131 to 84 in a secret-ballot vote at a Democratic caucus meeting last December. After the defeat, Ocasio-Cortez decided to switch to the energy and commerce committee, so it's not clear if she might try to bounce back to oversight and make a new run for the soon-to-be vacant ranking member position. The third-term lawmaker, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, has generated 2028 presidential buzz with a successful string of rallies in western red states alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Connolly took over from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) after Raskin successfully ousted Rep. Jerry Nadler from his post as the top Democrat on the judiciary committee. Taken together, the musical chairs amounts to something of a generational changing of the guard as Democrats seek to turn the page on aging leaders like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. In the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries grabbed the reins from ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi two years ago. The intra-party feud has also hit the Democratic National Committee, where leaders are pressuring vice chair David Hogg to drop a push to primary some Democratic incumbents deemed ineffective and aging.
