Larry Hoover has officially renounced the Gangster Disciples in his latest bid for a sentencing break.
Hoover's attempt to reduce his sentence under the First Step Act in 2021 was shot down by a judge, though he had a second opportunity this year. The infamous gang leader wrote two letters directed to the judge and the public, offering a rare statement to both the courts and those who've followed his case.
In one letter, he described himself as "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." He pushed back against being revered as a symbol in the streets, acknowledging that he knows "anecdotally that some misguided people" continue to put him on a pedestal.
"I wish this were not so," he continued. "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."
Hoover said that he's changed himself since holding himself accountable for his role in the Gangster Disciples. "I have long since renounced my association with any and all criminal organizations and their membership," he wrote. "I am no longer a member, leader, or even an elder statesman of the Gangster Disciples,” Hoover continued. “I want nothing to do with it now and forever.”
Still, Hoover faces significant pushback in his attempt to reduce his life sentence. Last year, federal prosecutors accused Hoover of promoting two members into top roles within the Gangster Disciples during his time inside a supermax prison. Per Chicago Sun Times, Hoover still has a sentence for a state murder that he would likely serve in a federal prison, even if he manages to reduce his current sentence. However, prosecutors on the case are worried that Hoover and his team of lawyers could attempt to undo that sentence, as well.
