Trump Commutes Sentence of Gang Leader: Controversy Erupts Over Pardon
President Trump commuted the federal life sentences of Larry Hoover, the co-founder of the Gangster Disciples street gang, despite Hoover’s continued 200-year state sentence for murder. Hoover, convicted on federal racketeering charges in 1997, had been serving his sentence in a maximum-security prison. While Hoover’s supporters celebrated his release from federal custody, the former lead prosecutor expressed disappointment, highlighting Hoover’s history of leading a vast criminal enterprise and exploiting children. Hoover’s state sentence remains in effect, and the Illinois governor has yet to comment on potential commutation.
John Q. Hosedrinker