Former leader of the Gangster Disciples, Larry Hoover, recently submitted letters to U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber in hopes to reduce his life sentence under the First Step Act. The law was signed by President Donald Trump in 2018, and aims to cut unnecessarily long federal sentences.
The 71-year-old wrote in the documents that he is "no longer the Larry Hoover people sometimes talk about, or he who is written about in the papers, or the crime figure described by the government." Hoover added that he understands "anecdotally that some misguided people" hold his past life up in high regard and see him as a symbol but he added, "I wish this were not so."
Hoover denounced the Gangster Disciples in his letter to the judge, stating, "Regardless, these people are apart from me and do what they do with zero encouragement or direction from me. To be clear, if I had any ability to influence them, I’d ask that they’d forget me and forsake the gang life forever." He added, "I have long since renounced my association with any and all criminal organizations and their membership. I am no longer a member, leader, or even an elder statesman of the Gangster Disciples. I want nothing to do with it now and forever."
Attorneys Jennifer Bonjean and Justin Moore spoke on behalf of Hoover, telling the judge, "The Larry Hoover who graces the cover of the government’s opposition papers … died long ago, notwithstanding the government’s unfounded claim that he harbors a desire to reclaim his title as the king of the Gangster Disciples, an enterprise that bears little resemblance to the organization he built in the 1970s."
Bonjean previously helped free Bill Cosby from prison, and she also is currently representing R. Kelly.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
