Biography

Birth and Early Years (1950 – 1962)

Larry Hoover was born to Floyd Hopskins and Obell Cooper on November 30, 1950 in Jackson, Mississippi. His father was a mechanic and his mother did odd jobs. He was the eldest of the four children they had. In 1955, his mother along with him and other siblings born by that time, moved to a low-income area in South Side, Chicago while his father stayed behind in Jackson. The last that his parents spoke to each other was in 1966. For most part, Larry Hoover was brought up by a single mother.

From an early age, Hoover had a desire to earn money. He cleaned furnaces and carried groceries in the neighborhood. He also sold Jet magazine on the mass-transit platforms of Elevated Train. Larry Hoover’s mother did odd jobs at restaurants and laundromats. The family was poor and had to rely on welfare as well.

From an early age, Hoover had a tendency towards shoplifting and stole what he could not buy. He often shoplifted clothes and hid them at the house of a friend where he changed before walking to his school.

Like most boys, Hoover too was fascinated with guns, and once recalled that one Chicago policeman allowed him to get into his official squad car and handle his revolver.

As a boy Hoover saw poverty, violence and racism around him. He did not have his father there to teach him what was right and what was wrong. These factors perhaps explain why Hoover moved towards gang-life. He would later find fellow gangsters like the members of his family and gang-life a means to fulfillment of his dreams.

Rising through the Ranks of Supreme Gangsters (1963)

By the age of 12 or 13, Hoover had become a member of the gang of about 30 youths who called themselves Supreme Gangsters. The gang members often bunked school together to ride the Elevated Train around Chicago.

With his natural ability to influence and lead, he quickly rose through the ranks of the Supreme Gangsters garnering power and authority.

Alex Rain was the founding leader of Supreme Gangsters and Larry Hoover was his Second in Command. As the leader of the gang, Alex Rain was called “the King” by the gang members. He was murdered in 1964 and Larry Hoover became “the King” of the gang. The person behind the murder of Alex Rain remains unknown to this day but there were rumors that Larry Hoover had killed the founder of his gang.

Initially, Supreme Gangsters was involved in petty crimes like mugging and theft but with time made its way to more heinous crimes like shooting, assault and homicide.

Influences and Early Beliefs: Larry Hoover’s Life as an Adolescent (1964 – 1968)

In a statement submitted in 1993 to the Prison Review Board of Illinois for his parole, Larry Hoover informed the board that as a teenager he was greatly influenced by the crooks and gangsters who lived in the immediate neighborhoods and the famous film stars who appeared in Western and gangster movies. He further wrote that it seemed then that everyone believed violence and guns were the best way to settle issues, to get real respect and power and to be recognized as an important person. He admitted in the statement that he found himself believing that as well.

Larry Hoover once described himself as an introvert. As a freshman he played basketball and did well in Mathematics. According to his school counselor he was “a little above average” student (which is debatable though) and was taunted for stuttering and would “break out in a sweat” whenever asked to read aloud.

Larry Hoover’s mother was strict with her children. Larry Hoover was supposed to be home when street lights were on after sunset. Quite often Hoover waited till his mother went to bed and then slipped out of the window to the sidewalk below.

On September 4 1968, Larry Hoover was shot in the leg by one of the two attackers who belonged to the rival Devil’s Disciple gang. The incident occurred outside the principal’s office in Francis W. Parker High School. It was his first day as a sophomore. Larry Hoover, though being the victim in that incident, was expelled from the school. 

It was the third attempt on Hoover’s life and it was also the first time that his mother came to know about his gang related activities.

Formation of Black Gangster Disciple Nation: Larry Hoover’s Strategic Alliances and Leadership (1969)

Under the leadership of Larry Hoover, Supreme Gangsters and another gang Black P Stones, led by Jeff Fort, formed an alliance in January 1969 to work together. The alliance was short-lived and the two gangs parted their ways in June 1969. Immediately after that, Larry Hoover negotiated the merger of Supreme Gangsters with Black Disciple Nation of David Barksdale to form Black Gangster Disciple Nation (BGDN).

At the time of the merger Hoover’s Supreme Gangsters had about 5,000 members and Black Disciple Nation had about 10,000 members. 

David Barksdale became “the King” of the gang and Larry Hoover assumed the charge of the Chairman and the second in command. The BGDN members called the group “The Family” in their internal communication.

Hoover took Barksdale as his mentor, whom he found glamorous and worth emulating. Hoover assumed the role of Barksdale’s henchman and would also carry out orders to assault, hit and kill whenever required.

Larry Hoover Gains Power in Black Gangster Disciple Nation (1970 – 1972)

On June 7, 1970 David Barksdale was badly injured in an accidental gunfire from the M-14 rifle of a member of gangster group Black P. Stone. Poor health of Barksdale from the injury resulted in an expanded role and responsibility for Larry Hoover.

Under him the gang had been involved in all kinds of criminal activities involving murder, shooting, assault, conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, drug dealing and so on and had taken control of Chicago’s South Side drug trade, making profits of more than $1,000 a day.

Larry Hoover and the Murder of William Young (1973)

In a meeting of BGDN on February 21, 1973 Larry Hoover ordered his fellow gang member Andrew Howard to murder four men for stealing drugs and money from a hope house under “The Family.” (According to court testimonies of some members of “The Family,” the four men had withheld money from the sale of drugs from “The Family”.)

On February 26, 1973 Larry Hoover helped Andrew Howard in the abduction of a 19-year-old neighborhood drug seller William “Pooky” Young, one of the four men ordered by Hoover to be murdered.

Andrew Howard drove him to an alley in Englewood, Chicago and murdered him with six shots to his head and one in the arm. Andrew Howard was arrested on March 16, 1973 while Larry Hoover went into hiding.

In the early hours of September 21, 1973 Larry Hoover was driving a Hertz Rent-a-Truck in Chicago. The police stopped him for a traffic violation and asked him to produce his driving license which he could not. Larry Hoover identified himself as “Larry Cooper” and was asked to drive his truck to the police station. While officers followed his truck in their squad car, he turned off his truck’s headlights and sped away. The police squad car and Hoover’s truck were involved in a collision during the chase that ensued. Hoover fled the truck on foot but was apprehended and placed under arrest.

The officers later learned that the truck that “Larry Cooper” had been riding was reported stolen. The officers also discovered that the fingerprints of the offender named “Larry Cooper” matched those of Larry Hoover, who had an active murder warrant. Larry Hoover was charged with the homicide of William Young.

Years later, Hoover told a journalist that it was silly of him to be hiding in Chicago.

Before his arrest on murder charges, Larry Hoover had been arrested more than thirteen times. He had at least six separate unsuccessful attempts on his life and for the crimes he committed he was in and out of jail several times. He had been steadfast in the face of odds and had continued with his adopted profession.

Murder of Joshua Shaw: Key Witness Against Larry Hoover (1973)

Joshua Shaw, another of the four men ordered by Hoover to be murdered, was attacked on February 28, 1973. He received six bullets on his upper torso but survived. 

Shaw was an important witness in the murder of William “Pooky” Young. He testified against Larry Hoover and Andrew Howard before the jury in the preliminary hearing. Before the trial had begun, Shaw was slain by some unknown person on September 27, 1973 with two gunshots to the back of his neck. His testimony was, however, admitted for evidence and was important in the conviction of both Hoover and Howard.

Birth of Son Larry Hoover Jr. (1973)

While Larry Hoover’s trial was in progress, his girlfriend Winndye Jenkins gave birth to their son Larry Hoover Jr. on November 5, 1973.

Trial and Conviction in William Young Murder Case (1973)

On December 10, 1973 Cook County Circuit Court Judge Frank Wilson awarded both Larry Hoover and Andrew Howard sentences of 150 to 200 years of jail for the murder of William Young.

Larry Hoover was sent to maximum security state prison Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois. 

This was a predictable culmination of a life that had been lived by the way of guns and gangs. He was ashamed of his poverty and lack of education, but that cannot be taken as an excuse for his actions, that rather explains his decisions and choices in life. He later repented for what he did but that was too late.

Family members of William Young wrote several protest letters to the authorities in 2008 asking them not to give any relief in his sentence. In November 2022, during an interview to the Prison Review Board, Illinois for parole, Larry Hoover remained interested in meeting with the mother of his victim William Young to express remorse and ask for forgiveness. He told the Board that on a past occasion he requested a close friend to initiate communication with William Young’s family to meet with his victim’s mother but she was not interested.

Rise to Power: Larry Hoover Becomes “the King” of Black Gangster Disciple Nation (1974)

In September 1974, David Barksdale, who had been wounded in a gun accident earlier in 1970, died from kidney related complications arising from the injury. This set the stage for incarcerated Larry Hoover to become the all-powerful “King” of Black Gangster Disciple Nation (BGDN).

Dual Persona of Larry Hoover (1974 Onwards – till Perhaps Now)

Inside the jail, Larry Hoover on one hand was discreetly leading BGDN, and on the other was portraying himself not only to have been reformed but also as a reformer of the members of his gang. Hoover at that time was performing the twin roles of a gang leader and a reformer to the highest degree of perfection.

How Prison Life Benefited Larry Hoover

It was ironic that life in jail provided immense benefits to Larry Hoover. Growth in reputation and power can be attributed to the following benefits Larry Hoover enjoyed inside the prison:

1. He had all the time in the world to think and reflect and carve a strategy for himself and his criminal organization.
2. The jail provided him with peace and safety which otherwise are not available to people who are a part of the gangs involved in the business of illegal drugs.
3. The prison provided him with the chance of learning and self development which he utilized by becoming a lifelong learner.

The combined result of all this was that Larry Hoover became more powerful behind bars than he ever was as a free man.

Personal Development and Learning: Larry Hoover’s Journey in Prison (1974 to date)

When Hoover went to prison in 1973, he was diagnosed as functionally illiterate. His reading was of third grade level. He had never had a driving licence because he could not read or write. Once in prison, he began to study and eventually obtained his GED and an emergency medical technician’s licence. 

In a 2012 report of the Prison Review Board, Hoover had completed more than 100 ACE courses and had extensively exhausted all available courses offered by the federal institutions. He also received programming in cognitive behavior therapy.

Hoover read a wide variety of books on different topics. Among his favorites were Machiavelli’s The Prince and Ayn Rand’s political novel The Fountainhead. About The Prince he said, “It’s like required reading, just to be able to stay in a conversation in the yard.”

Of all the books that he read, the most that he admired was Boss, the 1971 biography of the former Chicago Mayor (1955-1976) Richard J. Daley by Mike Royko. The book described the metamorphosis of Irish and other white immigrant gangs in to political groups in Chicago in the early 1900s. In the words of Hoover, “It was very motivating, because it showed you can make a transition from a street gang to a socially acceptable gang.” It was this very book that inspired him towards “Growth and Development” of the impoverished and politically and socially marginalized African-Americans.

Prisoners’ Strike and Birth of Folk Nation and People Nation (1978)

By the start of the year 1978, cracks had started appearing in BGDN and three different factions had emerged from it: Black Gangsters, Black Disciples and Gangster Disciples. It was a time of internal strife and chaos and was a big test of Larry Hoover’s leadership skills.

It was April 1978 when many inmates at Stateville prison fell ill due to foul food being served there. Larry Hoover called a meeting of the inmates and organized and led a work stoppage strike against the poor food quality. Those who joined him in the strike included imprisoned leaders of rival and allied gangs from all over Chicago. 

Larry Hoover seized this opportunity of all the inmates uniting under him for a common cause and called another big meeting of allied and enemy gang leaders and members to discuss measures to control messy gang wars and unrestrained bloodshed. 

In the assembly he presented his vision of peaceful coexistence of all gangs, and if war became necessary, he wanted it controlled and isolated, just like the way Italian Mafia control their gang wars. He proposed that there should be only two rival coalitions and all gangs should join either of them. He wanted all issues to be negotiated and decided between the leaders of the two rival coalitions.

It was out of this idea that Folk Nation and People Nation were born in that meeting. Larry Hoover became the leader of Folk Nation and he not only prevented BGDN from disintegration but he also brought different gangs like Maniac Latin Disciples, Spanish Gangster Disciples, Simon City Royals, Almighty Insane Popes, La Raza, Spanish Cobras, Almighty Latin Eagles, Lady, Satan Disciples, Ambrose, Ashland Vikings, Two-Two Boys, Two Sixers, Imperial Gangsters and Harrison Gents under his fold as the leader of Folk Nation. The drug selling activities of the gang organizations under control of Larry Hoover spread from Chicago to several states across the USA.

Life Attempt on Hoover (1979)

In 1979 an assassination attempt was made on Larry Hoover by a homesexual Black Gangster nicknamed “Nissan.” He tried to stab Larry Hoover but did not succeed and died violently. It was  Leureano “Shakey” Ramos, the founder of Milwaukee Kings, who saved Hoover’s life at that point.

The Legacy of Folk Nation and People Nation: Unfulfilled Expectations

In the years to come, the two Nations remained loosely knit units of gangs and could not transform themselves into the super gangs they were supposed to be. The two Nations never had the discipline and order in their ranks and files to be recognized as gangs. But still, the two-gang system has survived through thick and thin and a loose structure of them still exists to this day. 

Overall, the system failed to live up to the expectations as envisioned by Larry Hoover and the other co-founders. Not only have there been uncontrolled and messy gang wars between Folk Nation and People Nation gangs, the gangs inside the two Nations have also repeatedly killed other allied gangs’ members within their respective Nations. Conversely, if Hoover’s plan had succeeded the gangs of Chicago would have evolved from street crime organizations to Mafia style organized crime structures. 

Rebellion and the Murder of Three Prison Guards (1978)

Immediately after the formation of Folk Nation and People Nation, Larry Hoover was transferred to Pontiac Correctional Center, Pontiac, Illinois which was a prison of medium security. This transfer was due to the role of Larry Hoover that led to a work stoppage strike in the prison.

When Larry Hoover got to Pontiac Prison, he saw ill-treatment of inmates by the prison staff. The prison was overcrowded and the conditions were squalid. Larry Hoover involved high ranking leaders of BGDN and other gangster groups into a movement that he named “Brothers of the Struggle.”

The inmates, who were basically Brothers of the Struggle, raised a rebellion against the jail authorities on July 22, 1978. The aim of the rebellion was to overthrow the prison and bring mass destruction. The riots resulted in the death of three guards and injuries to dozens. Seventeen inmates including Larry Hoover were put on trial that went on till 1981. Although Hoover’s involvement was evident in the investigation, all 17 inmates were declared not guilty for lack of evidence.

The Rise of Black Gangster Disciples under Larry Hoover (1981)

In 1981, the name Black Gangster Disciple Nation was changed to Black Gangster Disciples, abbreviated as BGD. After this name change a situation was created by some leaders of BGD who had a background of David Barksdale’s former Black Disciple Nation (BDN). They decided to part ways with BGD and announced the formation of Black Disciples (BD) and asked their like minded BGD members to choose between BGD or BD. 

Such was the charisma of Larry Hoover and the attraction of the BGD banner that a majority of the so called BDN gang members, including some of the founding members of BD, opted to become a part of BGD. This made Larry Hoover the most powerful gang leader of Chicago and BGD the biggest gangster group of the city.

For tighter control over the activities of BGD Hoover created two separate boards of directors of which he was the Chairman. One board was from directors inside the prison that had the responsibility to look after the activities inside the prison and the other board was assigned to look after the operations of BGD on the streets.

The same year, Larry Hoover no longer wanted the title of “the King” and instead chose to become “the Chairman.”

Political Awakening of Larry Hoover (1981)

In October 1981, Larry Hoover circulated a memo amongst troops of his Black Gangster Disciples. He showed his deep concern about the African-American community being criminalized and also gave them the path to succeed. Following are the highlights of the memo.

“Laws and sentences have become more stiffer and longer, and prisons are being built with us in mind.”

“Through business and politics, we can build an economical base that will insure us boundless power and wealth. But if we stay uneducated and without political power, prisons and death will continue to be a way of life for many of us.”

“It is time for us to go to school, learn trades and develop all of our talents and skills, so that we will become stronger in society. We cannot wait for the system to teach us, we must take it upon ourselves to learn all that we can about this world.”

Larry Hoover hit the right chords since that was exactly what the African-American community needed. He made it mandatory for his fellow gangsters to pursue education and that spelt a significant change from the past.

Larry Hoover Comes on the Radar Screen of the Investigators Once More (1987)

In March 1987, when Hoover was 36, he was rewarded for his good deeds and exemplary conduct in the jail and was transferred to prison of minimum security in Vienna, Illinois. Ironically, the new prison gave him even greater control over the Gangster Disciples.

Larry Hoover’s transfer to Vienna left a leadership vacuum at the prison in Pontiac. The iron hand of Hoover was not there anymore to quell uprisings among the inmates.

In July 1987 the security guards at Pontiac prison entered the cell of a BGD inmate at Billy “Zodiac” Jones to search for any illegal substance there. Jones swallowed a bag of cocaine during struggle with guards and later died. Some inmates blamed the prison administration for the death of Jones and decided to avenge his death by murdering the Superintendent Robert Taylor. 

On September 3, 1987 Robert Taylor was murdered by two BGDs which was followed by arrests and investigation. A BGD inmate Harry Martin was also arrested and charged for the conspiracy of the Superintendent’s murder. He was offered relaxation in his sentence if he cooperated with the investigators. Harry Martin claimed that Larry Hoover had given him the order to kill the Superintendent.

Upon investigation it was proven that Larry Hoover had no link to the murder, however, damage had been done because Harry Martin gave up lots of other important information about the way the BGDs operated. This put Larry Hoover back on to the radar screens of the investigators and they started keeping a watchful eye on his activities. This was the turning point and the investigations that ensued ultimately resulted in his indictment in 1995. 

Harry Martin later lamented in the court proceedings that the promises of relaxation in his sentence were not honored, his son was killed and his wife and the remaining children had to leave their place and live somewhere else.

Birth of Growth and Development (1987 – 1993)

At the prison in Vienna, Larry Hoover had unlimited access to phone and had unrestricted time for visitors. There he lived a life of luxury enjoying new clothes, expensive shoes and jewelry, specially prepared food and frequent visits from family, friends and loved ones.

When other BGDs were transferred to the Vienna prison, Larry Hoover welcomed them to come and meet him. He facilitated them by giving them marijuana, money, cigarettes and whatever they needed and wanted. In this way he cultivated future leaders of BGD gang.

Somewhere in 1987, while at the Vienna prison Larry Hoover came up with the idea of channelizing the energies of the youth involved in gangster activities. He thought that the black youth should collectively do something more positive to impact the lives of men and women of the poor and deprived communities. It was with these thoughts in his mind that he came up with the concept of transforming Black Gangster Disciples into Better Growth and Development.

At that time Hoover shared those thoughts with only a very few of his closest partners. Better Growth and Development was discussed with a wider audience of the trusted top leadership of Black Gangster Disciples in 1990.

In 1991, two things happened concurrently. Black Gangster Disciples dropped the word “Black” from their name and started calling themselves Gangster Disciples; and Larry Hoover changed the name of his brainchild organization Better Growth and Development to just Growth and Development, leaving out the word “Better” which was a part of his original 1987 plan.

In 1993, formation of Growth and Development was officially announced to the public and in 1994, Black Gangster Disciples declared themselves to be called Gangster Disciples, both abbreviated as GD.

Just like Larry Hoover, GD also had two faces. GD that stood for Growth and Development was the one more advertised and visible. It was deeply compassionate and profoundly progressive and stood for the development of the marginalized communities of Chicago. The other face of GD was Gangster Disciple. It was more obscure and hideous and was brutally criminal and devilishly immoral. It represented the largest street gang of Chicago involved in assaults, murders, illegal drug selling and other allied activities.

Since GD referred to both Gangster Disciples and Growth and Development, it was the context of the situation that defined what GD meant. 

With the official proclamation of Growth and Development in 1993, Hoover renounced his violent criminal past. The Gangster Disciples also publicly declared to have left gang activities become members of Growth and Development. Under the banner of Growth and Development they arranged charity events and peaceful protests in Chicago and other cities. While Growth and Development earned fans and following in the community, Larry Hoover attained the status of an urban political celebrity.

Those were the years when Gangster Disciples was considered to be the largest street gang of the US by many accounts.

Growth and Development of “Growth and Development” (1993 – 1996)

Hoover’s move to reform started getting attention from others. His Growth and Development initiative created many non-profit organizations including one that registered disenfranchised black voters, a music label that helped needy children, and even a clothing line. 

He also organized from the prison a series of peaceful protests to reverse the decision of the closing of public welfare programs. Those programs provided a sense of community and empowerment to the marginalized and oppressed African-Americans. For all the good work that Hoover had helped to initiate for the poor African-Americans, the people genuinely considered him their savior and lobbied to get him released for his contributions to society.

The political action group created by Hoover for registration for voters was called 21st Century V.O.T.E. In May 1993, it first came into the public eye when it organized a march towards City Hall of Chicago to protest municipal cutbacks in health care. About 5,000 young people participated in the march.

In September 1993, more than 10,000 members of the Gangster Disciples gathered for a large picnic in Kankakee, Illinois. Larry Hoover’s pre-recorded speech was played in which he explained his vision of Growth and Development. This resulted in thousands of letters to the Governor of Illinois Jim Edgar with appeal for clemency for Larry Hoover, which the Governor refused.

In October 1993 a “Gang Peace Summit” was held in Chicago which was attended by about 2,500 people from across the USA. Attendees included social activists, gang members, former gang members, politicians and gang intervention workers. Larry Hoover was widely believed to be the brain behind the summit.

In 1996, Larry Hoover’s teachings were published in a book The Blueprint of a New Concept: From Gangster Disciple to Growth & Development. The book laid down some political objectives to empower the community and discussed the strategies to achieve political power.

GD has been regularly organizing picnics and gatherings on occasions like Independence Day and Father’s Day.

Another Parole Bid is Turned down (1993)

Larry Hoover has made multiple unsuccessful attempts to get parole, have his sentence shortened or to be put in a prison of lower security. By 1992, the Prisoner Review Board, Illinois had denied Larry Hoover’s annual request for parole for ten years. In 1993, notwithstanding the campaign mounted for the release of Larry Hoover where he attained celebrity status in Chicago, the board once again denied him parole. It is worth mentioning here that Andrew Howard, who had actually shot dead William Young, was granted parole in 1992.

Investigations Start Against Larry Hoover (1993)

Even though Hoover was imprisoned, he held onto the reins of this gang tightly and kept leading the illegal drug trade business in the prison and on the streets. The suspecting government officials, who had already been alerted by Harry Martin in 1987 during the murder investigation of Pontiac Prison Superintendent Robert Taylor, saw Hoover’s positive intentions as a ploy to get out of jail and resume his criminal activities.

In the fall of 1993, just as the campaign for release of Hoover started getting momentum a parallel thing was taking shape.

The feds approached the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to issue an order authorizing the secret interception and recording of oral communications of Larry Hoover with his visitors at the Vienna Correctional Center. The Chief Judge accepted the plea and issued the order on October 29, 1993. The initial authorization of tapping was for one month only but on December 3, 1993, the Chief Judge extended the order for another 30 days. 

The investigators used special miniature transmitting devices that were hidden in the badge worn by the visitors. On December 19, 1993, a visitor of of Hoover found the transmitter in the badge and all interceptions ceased after that.

The tapped recordings revealed to the investigators that Larry Hoover was running the Gangster Disciples group from within the prison system and had expanded his criminal empire to the Midwest and Southeast.

Upon further investigation, informants revealed that Larry Hoover’s nonprofit organizations were in fact fronts for laundering drug money. According to the testimonies of Gangster Disciples, none of the proceeds from any of the so-called charities operating under the umbrella of Growth and Development were actually delivered to anyone in need.

Transfer to Dixon Prison and Life There (1994)

In the fall of 1994 Larry Hoover was transferred from the Minimum Security Facility in Vienna to the tighter Dixon Correctional Center, Illinois. The prison authorities of Illinois knew at that point that the federal investigation was underway and that they had collected incriminating evidence against Larry Hoover. It was obvious to them that he was about to be indicted. The reason for this transfer can be explained by the fact that it is always a better option to take a high profile criminal like Larry Hoover into federal custody from a more secure facility.

Tighter security at the Dixon prison could not prevent Larry Hoover from enjoying the life of luxury there. The only thing that kept Larry Hoover busy there was attending to his visitors in the visiting room. He did not do any work and had no assignment in the prison. He was busy everyday meeting endless number of visitors who came to to meet him. He had a section of the visiting room reserved for him; it was called “Larry Hoover’s” area where he received his visitors everyday. He had milk shakes to drink and ate steak sandwiches and chicken from the grill at the visiting room. Unlike other prisoners he never ate off the “main line” in the chow hall.

Larry Hoover’s Indictment (1995)

On August 31, 1995 after a five year long undercover joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Illinois Department of Corrections, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives a massive raid was carried out on Gangster Disciples. More than 250 officers of federal, state, and local authorities participated in that raid called “Operation Headache” and besides Larry Hoover, 21 other members of Gangster Disciples were also arrested from the prison. A total of 39 high-ranking Gangster Disciples were indicted in the case.

Larry Hoover was charged with conspiracy, money laundering, continuing criminal enterprise and various drug-related offenses. He was moved by the feds from the Dixon Correctional Center to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago to undergo trial.

About his indictment, Larry Hoover told a journalist that it masked a conspiracy by Chicago Mayor (1989-2011), Richard M. Daley and other officials to halt the GD backed voter registration drives, election campaigning, gang “peace summits,” and protests. He claimed himself to be a political prisoner and that the real intent of the federal crackdown was to fuel gang strife in black communities and halt his efforts to redirect gang members toward politics.

Trial and Conviction (1997)

More than 8,000 conversations of Larry Hoover were recorded which were more than 65 hours of tapes. Out of that, 4 hours of excerpts were used as evidence against Larry Hoover. The prosecutors had alleged that Larry Hoover’s gang sold drugs worth $100 million a year and had recruited 30,000 people in 28 states across the United States. They argued that Gangster Disciples had never really ceased to operate as a criminal organization. 

Hoover had argued that if all 65 hours of tapes had been transcribed and presented before the court, he would have been acquitted. Hoover’s defense lawyers chose not to challenge the substance of the evidence against him but instead tried to prove that the government recorded his conversations illegally.

Hoover’s lawyers contended that Vienna Correctional Center, where Hoover was prisoned, was located in the Southern District of Illinois and under the law was out of the territorial jurisdiction of the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

The government lawyers argued that the transmitters sent radio signals to a transceiver located at Vienna. The signals were then redirected to a wire room in Chicago, where government agents listened to and recorded the conversations. They explained that the acquisition of all communications took place in the precincts of Chicago which is in the Northern District of Illinois. The court accepted this argument.

Larry Hoover’s lawyers also argued that the law was violated when the recorded tapes were not sealed immediately after the expiration of authorized period. On that basis they contended that the tapes could not be presented as evidence. This argument was also rubbished by the court when federal prosecutors cited a previous judgment.

Larry Hoover was found guilty on all 40 counts against him and on May 9, 1997, he was sentenced to six additional life terms for running criminal activities from inside the jail. He was initially sent to Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute, Indiana which is a medium-security prison. Later he was transferred to the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Freemont County, Colorado (also called ADX) where he is serving his sentence. He is kept in solitary confinement in a 7 feet by 12 feet cell for 23 hours a day.

Continuing Influence of Larry Hoover over Gangster Disciples

In 2015, Larry Hoover was caught by the prison authorities communicating with a fellow gang member Anthony Dobbins, imprisoned at the same facility. The prison authorities alleged that they both used an elaborate code hidden in a list of legal cases and deciphered that using a pocket dictionary. The decoding instructions included ignoring words with a “small dash in front,” and only reading words that were at the far left of the page.

According to the disciplinary report, Hoover denied any knowledge of the dictionary found in his cell. When asked about the incident he told the authorities that he had nothing to do with violating the rules, it was Dobbins who initiated the violation and attempted to involve him. On the basis of the disciplinary action, Hoover was fined seventy five dollars and his commissary privileges were suspended for ten months. The disciplinary report was later made a part of indictment of Anthony Dobbins and six others in January 2021.

The federal indictment of seven state and national leaders of GDs including Dobbins suggested Hoover might still be holding power over the Chicago gang he founded. The indictment accused them of racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, witness intimidation and several murders, including the 2018 murder of a 65 year old ranking member of the gang.

Hoover was not accused of wrongdoing but the indictment claimed that in September 2014, two co-accused Gangster Disciples Anthony Dobbins and Warren Griffin discussed how Larry Hoover had recently appointed them as “board members,” which gave them both the responsibility of gang’s operations across the US.

Larry Hoover’s Future Plan of Life in Case of his Release

Larry Hoover has been confined in a seven feet by twelve feet cell in the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Freemont County, Colorado. He is kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

In November 2022, answering questions to the Prisoner Review Board Hoover said that in case of his release from prison he would like to move out of Chicago and live at a place where he is not recognized, and his name is not known. He expressed his desire to do some simple job like his father who was a mechanic and had dirt in his nails.

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