Larry Hoover | |
---|---|
Born | [1][2] Jackson, Mississippi, United States | November 30, 1950
Other names | King Larry |
Criminal status | Imprisoned at ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado[3] |
Spouse(s) | Bertha Mosby (common–law wife)[4] |
Children |
|
Conviction(s) |
|
Criminal penalty | Six life sentences |
Date apprehended | March 16, 1973 |
Larry Hoover (born November 30, 1950)[2][1][5] is an American gang leader, co-founder of the Chicago street gang Gangster Disciples. Hoover is serving six life sentences at the ADX Florence prison in Florence, Colorado. He was sentenced to 150–200 years for a 1973 murder, and in 1997 (after a 17-year investigation of conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and running a continuing criminal enterprise by leading the gang from state prison) he received a life sentence.
On the evening of February 26, 1973, William "Pooky" Young, a 19-year-old neighborhood drug dealer, was abducted and later shot to death in an alley near 68th Street and Union Avenue in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. His killing was ordered by Hoover after his name was mentioned as one of three people accused of stealing drugs and money from the gang five days earlier.[6] On March 16, 1973, Hoover—along with Young's killer, Black Disciple member Andrew Howard—were both arrested. In November 1973, Howard and Hoover were both charged with murder and sentenced to 150 to 200 years in prison. Hoover was sent to Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois, to serve out his term.[7][8]
In 1974, after the leader of the Black Disciples, David Barksdale, died from kidney failure by an injury due to an earlier shooting, Hoover took the reins of the Black Gangster Disciples Nation under his wing. At the time, the group had control of Chicago's South Side. Under Hoover's rule, the Black Gangster Disciples took over the South Side drug trade. While incarcerated, Hoover helped form the Folks Nation, which added other gangs such as: Black Disciples, Satan Disciples, Ambrose, Two-Two Boys, Gangster Two-Six, Simon City Royals, North Side Insane Popes, La Raza Nation, Spanish Cobras, Imperial Gangsters, Maniac Latin Disciples, Harrison Gents, Spanish Gangster Disciples and Latin Eagles. In 1989, The Black Gangster Disciples started to go against their own merger and ally, the Black Disciples, over a drug-dealing dispute in the neighborhood of Englewood, Chicago, that escalated into a shooting that killed several people. This infuriated members of BGDs and resulted in them changing their name into the "Gangster Disciples." While Hoover was incarcerated, he ran the gang's illicit drug trade both in prison and on the streets, starting from Chicago's West Side and later extending throughout the United States. By early 1993, Hoover claimed to have renounced his violent criminal past and became an urban political celebrity in Chicago. The Gangster Disciples earned fans in the community with charity events and peaceful protests. Hoover proclaimed that the initials GD had changed to mean "Growth & Development." A lengthy federal investigation using wiretaps led to Hoover getting another life sentence in 1995. Prosecutors alleged that Hoover's gang had 30,000 "soldiers" in 35 states and made $100 million a year.
While in prison for murder, on August 22, 1995, after a 17-year undercover investigation by the federal government, Hoover was indicted for drug conspiracy, extortion, and continuing to engage in a criminal enterprise.[9] He was arrested at the Dixon Correctional Center by federal agents, and moved to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago to stand trial. In 1997, Hoover was found guilty on all charges. Hoover is currently serving his sentence at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Security Facility in Florence, Colorado.[3][10]
Hoover also appears via phone from prison on multiple tracks of Geto Boys' 1996 album The Resurrection where he discusses his views on the prison system and the youth of the black community.
"On one of the demo versions of his track "Hurricane", which was slated to appear on his scrapped project Yandhi, Kanye West suggested calling his wife, Kim Kardashian, to help release Hoover, following Kardashian's success on working with President Trump to free a number of federal prisoners.[11] On West's 2021 album Donda, the tracks "Jesus Lord" and "Jesus Lord, Pt. 2" feature a recorded message by Hoover's son Larry Hoover Jr., in which he discusses the "cracks" in America's criminal justice system and talks about the impact of Hoover's incarceration on his family.[12]
On October 11, 2018, during a luncheon with President Donald Trump, Kanye West pleaded for clemency for Hoover.[13] West, along with fellow rapper Drake hosted a Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert on December 9, 2021, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[14] The pair called for the release of Hoover and sought to raise awareness about prison and sentencing reform.[15]
Presented content of the Wikipedia article was extracted in 2021-12-23 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=2130431