President Donald Trump commuted the federal life sentence of Larry Hoover Sr. on Wednesday, May 28. He has already served 30 years of SIX life sentences for murder and other charges.
The 75-year-old former gangbanger and drug kingpin still faces a 200-year prison sentence on state murder charges.
A sitting president can only pardon or commute a federal prison sentence, not a state sentence. So while Hoover’s fans celebrated Trump commuting his federal sentence, Hoover won’t see daylight anytime soon.
He still faces a 200-year prison sentence on state murder charges in Illinois.
Hoover is celebrated in the Black community as the founder and leader of the notorious Gangster Disciples street gang in Chicago. His lengthy criminal record includes the 1973 murder of William “Pooky” Young, a 19-year-old drug dealer in Chicago.
Hoover’s other violent charges netted him six life sentences in federal prison. But President Trump saw fit to commute his life sentences on the advice of rapper Ye West, formerly Kanye West, and Alice Marie Johnson, a former inmate and criminal justice advocate who was pardoned by Trump after serving 21 years of a life sentence for drug trafficking.
Hoover and his supporters argue that he is a changed man. Hoover’s son, Larry Hoover Jr., appeared on Ye West’s Donda album to plead his case.
In a 2024 court appearance, Hoover Sr. stated: “I’m a completely different person than the man who went to prison in 1997.”
Bonjean Law Group, which represents Hoover, complained about the unfairness of it all.
“The courts have demonstrated a complete unwillingness to consider Mr. Hoover’s considerable growth and complete rehabilitation,” Bonjean Law Group stated on Wednesday. “Despite the court’s unwillingness to do the right thing, Mr. Hoover has been able to keep his voice alive through the incredible work of many advocates and supporters.”
The lawyers continued: “Thankfully, Mr. Hoover’s pleas were heard by President Trump, who took action to deliver justice for Mr. Hoover. We are thrilled to see that Mr. Hoover will be released from federal custody.”
Hoover is expected to be transferred from the federal ADX Florence “supermax” prison in Colorado to a state prison in Illinois to serve out his 200-year sentence. His supporters are calling on the Illinois governor to pardon him.
