Black Gangster Disciple Nation, a Chicago street gang that is currently known as Gangster Disciples, was founded and was previously led by Larry Hoover. Known by many as “King Larry,” “Prince Larry,” and “The King of Kings Honorable Chairman,” he is regarded as the largest criminal in Chicago to have existed since Al Capone. Hoover, who is currently incarcerated for six life terms at the ADX Florence supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, expanded the once-local street gang’s reach throughout the country. His group, known as GD, has engaged in a wide range of illegal operations, including narcotics trafficking, extortion, money laundering, murder, shooting, assaults, and more. Under Hoover’s direction, the gang’s illegal narcotics trade, which began on Chicago’s West Side and spread across the country, was conducted both inside and outside of prisons. Hoover started committing crimes when he was just twelve years old. His crime rate increased throughout the years as he became the Gangster Disciples’ leader. Later, Hoover continued his illegal drug activity and controlled his gang, assisting in its rapid growth, all while operating under the guise of GD, which he claimed to represent “Growth & Development.”
Early Life & Childhood
On December 25, 1950, in Jackson, Mississippi, Larry Hoover was born into a busy family that included his parents, grandparents, and siblings.
The family moved to Chicago, Illinois when young Hoover was four years old, hoping for a better life. The elder Hoovers had no idea how bad the move would end up being for their family!
Crimes and Detentions
Larry Hoover started his illegal operations when he was twelve years old. He went out with neighborhood pals who referred to themselves as “Supreme Gangsters” and committed small-time crimes including mugging and theft.
Hoover became the ‘Supreme Gangsters’ natural leader as the group swelled in number. As a kingpin, Hoover combined the “Supreme Gangsters” with David Barksdale’s opposing gang. The group grew to be known as the Black Gangster Disciple Nation. Their illegal activities escalated as well as they started shooting and attacking others.
Hoover assumed leadership of the Gangster Disciples in 1969 following a gunshot incident that left Barksdale injured. The gang took over the South Side narcotics trade and was turning over over $1,000 a day in earnings.
When Hoover got to his early 20s, he had multiple convictions under his belt. In addition, he had experienced multiple incarcerations and had escaped six distinct attempts at his life by gunfire.
Despite being a criminal, he had a strong intellectual background. Hoover, who dropped out of school in elementary school, obtained his GED and his licensure as an emergency medical technician while he was incarcerated.
Hoover gave the order to kill William “Pooky” Young, a 19-year-old neighborhood kid who was accused of stealing cash and drugs from the gang, on the tragic evening of February 26, 1973. In Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, Young was kidnapped by Gangster Disciple member Andrew Howard, who carried out the directive and shot him to death in an alleyway close to 68th Street and Union Avenue.
On March 16, 1973, Hoover and Howard were taken into custody after being charged with Young’s murder. Both received sentences ranging from 150 to 200 years in prison. Hoover was given his sentence to serve at the maximum-security Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois.
Hoover would not back down from his illegal actions even after being sentenced to life in prison. In fact, he became the main force behind the Black Gangster Disciple Nation, which eventually changed its name to Gangster Disciple after Barksdale’s renal failure death in 1974.
Hoover maintained control over the gang’s drug trafficking operations in the South while he was incarcerated. Additionally, he was in complete control of the drug trade in the vicinity of Chicago’s West Side, eventually expanding it across the entire country. In addition, he was a founding member of Folks Nation, which attracted several gangs to its ranks, including the Spanish Gangster Disciples, Maniac Latin Disciples, La Raza, Black Disciples, and Gangster Disciples.
Hoover gained enormous power at Stateville. He started defending other prisoners, who later on grew to love the Gangster Disciples and enlisted new members. Hoover had such power over the other inmates that even the warden’s officer acknowledged it. In actuality, Hoover was seen as having a favorable impact on putting an end to riots and insurrections inside the jail system.
Larry Hoover claimed to have given up his violent criminal background by the early 1990s and rose to prominence as an urban political figure in Chicago. His criminal group, GD, gained support from the locals by organizing nonviolent protests and charity functions. Hoover’s assertion that the GD gang stood for “Growth & Development” turned everything upside down.
Hoover took a complete roundabout on the upfront. He launched a music label that provided aid to underprivileged children, established a non-profit organization that registered voters, and coordinated a number of nonviolent demonstrations to oppose the termination of public services. Prison guards were aware that this sugarcoated sweetness was a front to escape and carry on with illicit activities, but outsiders truly saw him as their wise counsel, and they actively campaigned to grant him freedom in recognition of his social achievements.
However, GD carried on with its immoral practices while hiding behind the banner of “Growth & Development.” Following an inquiry, it was discovered that Hoover’s gang was supposedly earning $100 million annually and had 30,000 “soldiers” spread over 35 states. Furthermore, informants disclosed that Hoover’s charitable endeavors served as fronts for the money laundering of drugs. Actually, not a single penny of the money raised by any of the so-called organizations was used to assist those in need.
In 1995, Hoover was sentenced to an additional life in prison based on the investigation’s findings.
On August 31, 1995, after years of federal undercover investigations, Hoover was charged with narcotics conspiracy, extortion, and carrying on with a criminal business. Federal agents detained him at the Vienna Correctional Center and took him to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago so he might stand trial there.
Larry Hoover was given six life sentences after being found guilty of all charges in 1997. At the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, he is presently serving a life sentence. Hoover is regarded as a traditional hero in the gangster culture in Colorado. His gang, GD, has taken such a drastic turn that some now accuse him of being a victim of political forces, with his only crimes being being black and being in the wrong line of work.
Serious Offenses of Larry Hoover
Although Larry Hoover’s entire life was centered around criminal activity, including extortion, money laundering, conspiracy, and running a continuous criminal enterprise while incarcerated, his most notable crime was ordering the murder of William “Pooky” Young, a 19-year-old neighborhood youth who was accused of stealing drugs and cash from the gang. This occurred in 1973. Hoover was sent to prison together with Andrew Howard, who carried out his orders.
Individual Life and Heritage
Larry Hoover and Winndye Jenkins are wed by common law. Larry Hoover, Jr. and Samaya Hoover are their two children.
Net worth of Larry Hoover
The estimated net worth of Larry Hoover is about $1 million.