Second senior Hoover gang member sentenced to life in federal prison this week

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Another longtime gang member was sentenced to life in federal prison Friday for his role in a violent racketeering conspiracy in the Portland area, according to the Oregon District Attorney’s Office.

Ronald Clayton Rhodes, 38, is the second senior Hoover Criminal Gang member to be sentenced this week. He will serve a life sentence plus 10 years and five years of supervised release.

Rhodes, also known as Big Fly, was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. His verdict coincided with that of Lorenzo Laron Jones, 50, another senior member of the Hoover gang.

The jury also found that Rhodes had participated in the murder of Kyle Polk in 2015. Officials say he set a “violent example for multiple ‘Lil Fly’ gang members” who carried out his other crimes.

The Hoovers are a criminal street gang in Oregon who have been known to commit violent crimes including murder, robbery and drug dealing, according to court records.

Officials say Rhodes joined the Hoovers in 2005, spent 10 years in prison, and committed several crimes in the brief periods of time he wasn’t in custody. Court documents list a murder, an attempted murder, a home invasion robbery and a series of drug dealings.

The Oregon DA’s office previously provided a brief history of the gang’s involvement in Portland:

The Hoovers originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s and established a presence in Portland in the early 1980s. The gang has a loose hierarchical structure in which members have different amounts of power and influence based on age and gang activity. To maintain status and increase one’s position in the gang, members are expected to carry out violence on behalf of the enterprise.

…The Hoovers are rivals with many Portland gangs, including multiple Blood and Crip sets, and are self-described “everybody killers.” Hoover members are expected to use violence to retaliate any perceived slight or actual act of violence against a Hoover member or ally.

Several other Hoover members have also been sentenced in federal court for crimes committed on behalf of the gang.