Tapes key to Hoover case

Prosecutors piled up a mountain of documents, hauled in severalgang turncoats and put many cops on the stand before resting theircase against Gangster Disciples leader Larry Hoover on Wednesday.

But the most damaging witness against Hoover during four weeksof testimony in his drug conspiracy trial was probably Hooverhimself.

According to the indictment, Hoover ran the gang's drug empirefrom behind bars, where he was serving a 150-to-200-year sentence fora 1973 murder. Suspecting that he gave orders to visitors,prosecutors planted a tiny transmitter in the visitors' badges.Ironically, Hoover was well aware of the dangers of governmentbugs, as the jury has heard. …