Larry Hoover Sr., the 74-year-old co-founder of the Chicago street gang, the Gangster Disciples, has had his prison sentence commuted by Donald Trump.
As reported by CBS News, Hoover’s sentence was commuted by Trump on Wednesday, May 28. No further details, such as his expected release date from federal custody, have been made publicly available. He still faces a 200-year state-level sentence in Illinois for the 1973 murder of 19-year-old William Young.
Hoover, who had been serving six life sentences and has been behind bars since his arrest in 1973, has received a lot of support from people hoping to see his sentence reduced. Following his life imprisonment in 1973 for murder, he was convicted again in 1997 on federal charges for allegedly continuing his criminal enterprise behind bars. He and his family have repeatedly stressed he is no longer affiliated with the Gangster Disciples. Last year, he told a court that he’s “a completely different person than the man who went to prison in 1997.”
The artist formerly known as Kanye West has been involved with helping bring attention to Hoover’s efforts to be freed from prison. He spoke to Trump about the issue in 2018. He featured a message from his son, Larry Jr., on his 2021 album Donda, and he famously hosted a benefit concert with Drake later that year.
The news of Hoover’s sentence being commuted comes after Trump commuted the sentences of real estate tycoons Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were given a combined 19-year sentence for federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion. The news was met with criticism from Tiger King star Joe Exotic, who has repeatedly asked for his prison sentence to be commuted.
