November 30, 1950 - Larry Hoover
As co-founder and longtime leader of the Gangster Disciples, Hoover built one of the most expansive street gang organizations in American history, with influence extending across Chicago and into dozens of other cities. What distinguished his case was the demonstrated capacity to direct criminal operations — conspiracy, extortion, money laundering — from inside a state prison, leading to a federal conviction in 1997 on 40 counts after a 17-year investigation. The result was a sentence so extensive that it effectively placed him among the rare figures whose confinement itself became a subject of public and political debate.
From Wikipedia
Larry Hoover Sr. (born November 30, 1950) is an American former gangster and street gang kingpin. He is the founder of the Gangster Disciples, a Chicago street gang that over the years extended to multiple cities throughout the United States.
Hoover was serving six life sentences at the ADX Florence prison facility in Fremont County, Colorado. He was already serving a sentence of 150 to 200 years for a conviction in Illinois state court for the 1973 murder of 19-year-old William Young. However, in 1997, following a 17-year investigation, he was convicted of an additional 40 counts, including conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and running a continuing criminal enterprise from inside the state prison, and received additional life terms in federal court. He has made multiple attempts to have his sentence shortened.
American rapper and fellow Chicago native Kanye West has been a longtime advocate to lessen Hoover's sentence. West urged President Donald Trump to do so at a televised White House event in 2018, hosted the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert alongside Drake in late 2021, and referenced Hoover in songs such as "Jesus Lord" and "River".
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