Bugging Larry Hoover: Visitor Badge Tapes That Cracked the Gangster Disciples

Chicago was under siege — 30,000 strong and ruled from a prison cell. Then a prosecutor tried something no one expected: listen in where phones could not reach. This episode of The Prosecutors dives inside the federal case that targeted Larry Hoover, from the first shaky leads to a daring visitor badge bug at Vienna prison. Hear how 55 hours of tapes yielded just four incriminating hours, why a hidden mic at a South Side restaurant was spotted in seconds, and how a feared vacuum named Pops Johnson nearly derailed the takedown. Follow the money trails, the rebrand to Growth and Development and 21st Century Vote, and the shocking murder of insider Charles “Jello” Banks. In court, the fight to admit the tapes became a case within the case — and the result changed Chicago. Witness the strategy, the setbacks, and the moment the jury returned. Watch the full story to learn how agents, CPD, and a relentless U.S. Attorney built a conspiracy case brick by brick — with the defendants’ own words. #LarryHoover #GangsterDisciples #Chicago #TrueCrime #TheProsecutors #OrganizedCrime #DEA