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 away according to a copy of the document provided by Hoover s legal group The controversial move part of a slew of clemency actions publicized 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 Agents with the Illinois Department of Corrections have previously announced they would push for Hoover to finish his state sentence in federal prison due to assurance 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 message to the Tribune Hoover s attorney Jennifer Bonjean called Trump s decision a historic maturation 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 issued Now it s time for the IDOC to do the right thing An IDOC spokesperson could not this instant be reached Related Articles Stylist says Cassie confided that Sean Diddy Combs pressured her into sex marathons Judge says 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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 development 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 mentioned 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 society and that he will not do what he once did the summary of Hoover s report continued He would not make the same mistakes and he admits currently that he did make those choices in the past Trump s order was first disclosed by the news site NOTUS Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon Hoover s sister Diane Cooper stated I m just happy Trump did a very good thing They can say what they want Cooper mentioned I m behind him He necessities to be home Right is right and wrong is wrong Cooper declared 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 promptly 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 sought Hoover s defense attorney point-blank How plenty 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 a great number of we can t count Blakey shot back After Bonjean declared she couldn t put a number on it Blakey went a step further and required if Hoover himself would like to weigh in He apparently has the greater part knowledge of all the judge revealed At that hearing which Hoover attended via a live link from prison he recounted the judge he s had a chance to reflect on my life and the trouble that my existence has caused in the public 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 reported 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 issued Hoover explained he would counsel others how to avoid gangs not join them I just want to say that I would be a credible threat 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 disclosed 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 narrated Hoover during that hearing Sometimes I think they are too draconian But in this incident I agree with them Before last year s hearing prosecutors alleged that during a prison visit with his common-law wife in August Hoover demanded her if his lawyers needed 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 event IN PROMOTION 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 group if Hoover is distributed Schwartz also noted that Hoover s life sentence was appropriate given his place as one of the largest part dangerous criminals ever prosecuted in Chicago s federal court But Hoover s lawyers argued it s the executive that has proselytized the myth of Hoover as several arch-criminal who can still command the masses because it suits their endgame of keeping him locked up It is not in dispute that plenty of people from all walks of life including politicians celebrities public activists and people who self-identify as GDs sponsorship 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 authorities the bulk The leadership does not want to see a rehabilitated Hoover It wants to hold on to its narrative of Hoover as the largest part 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 mentioned A voracious reader Hoover would have a PhD by now if that type of activities was available to him according to Bonjean She also commented it s rubbish to think Hoover is still commanding gang members chosen 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 explained jmeisner chicagotribune com ckubzansky chicagotribune com scharles chicagotribune com