President Donald Trump has commuted the federal sentence of Larry Hoover, the co-founder of the notorious Chicago street gang Gangster Disciples. Hoover was among more than two dozen individuals granted clemency in a series of actions on Wednesday, drawing praise from his legal team and some anti-violence advocates in Chicago.
Despite the commutation, Hoover will remain in prison as he continues to serve a lengthy state sentence for a 1973 murder conviction. Federal authorities and state officials remain divided over his current role and legacy.
Who is Larry Hoover?
Larry Hoover, now 74, emerged as a powerful figure in Chicago’s gang landscape in the early 1970s. He co-founded the Gangster Disciples, a street gang that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, expanded to nearly 30,000 members in Chicago alone and spread into at least 35 other states, generating an estimated $100 million annually.
In 1973, Hoover was convicted of ordering the murder of William “Pookie” Young, a fellow gang member accused of theft. After going into hiding, Hoover was arrested and sentenced to 150 to 200 years in prison. While incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois, Hoover was accused of continuing to lead the Gangster Disciples from behind bars.
In 1995, a federal investigation involving the FBI and ATF linked Hoover to a nationwide drug trafficking operation. He was convicted on federal charges, including drug conspiracy, extortion, and money laundering, and sentenced to three life terms, which he served at the ADX Florence supermax facility in Colorado.
Despite decades in solitary confinement under highly restrictive conditions, Hoover maintained public interest through both criticism and support. In the 1990s, he claimed to have rebranded the Gangster Disciples into a political and community organisation called Growth and Development. More recently, Hoover publicly disavowed gang affiliations and supported criminal justice reform efforts, including the First Step Act signed by Trump in 2018.
Still, federal prosecutors allege Hoover remained involved in gang activities as recently as 2021. The FBI maintains he continues to exert influence over the Gangster Disciples, a claim disputed by his attorneys.
“The President of the United States has the authority to pardon whoever he wishes,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta. “I think Larry Hoover caused a lot of damage in this city and he deserves to be in prison and he will continue to be imprisoned in the state system.”
Hoover’s lawyers are now urging Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to follow Trump’s lead and commute Hoover’s state sentence, citing his deteriorating health and 52 years already served. “There is no purpose in returning a 74-year-old man in failing health to prison,” attorneys Joshua Dubin and Justin Moore said in a statement. “The Governor of Illinois must follow suit.”
“WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE PRESIDENT”
The Internet swiftly reacted to this post. A user said, “Trump commuted Larry Hoover’s federal life sentence on May 28, 2025, but Hoover remains in prison due to a separate 150-200 year state sentence for a 1973 murder conviction. #Trump #LarryHoover #Clemency Larry Hoover WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE PRESIDENT.” Another claimed, “Larry Hoover has been locked up for 52 years, I think that man has served enough time & deserves to walk free.” A user noted, ” pardon these student loans not hoover.” “The one thing I’ll say about Trump is, he keeps it exciting. You can never guess what he will do next,” wrote another. “Larry Hoover still got 200 yrs on state charges,” stated a user.