Early Life and Background
Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian immigrant parents, Gabriele and Teresa Capone. His father was a barber, and his mother worked as a seamstress. Like many immigrant families at the turn of the century, the Capones lived modestly, hoping for a better life in America.
Despite a reasonably stable home life, young Al Capone struggled in school. He left formal education after the sixth grade following an incident where he struck a teacher. Drawn to the streets, he soon fell under the influence of local gangs, including the notorious Five Points Gang in Manhattan, where he worked under gangster Johnny Torrio.
It was during his time with the Five Points Gang that Capone acquired his famous nickname “Scarface.” In a bar fight, he insulted a woman, leading her brother to slash Capone’s face, leaving him with the scars that would become infamous in his mugshots and press photos. Capone, however, disliked the nickname and preferred to be called “Snorky,” slang for someone stylish or sharp.
Rise in Chicago
In the early 1920s, Capone moved to Chicago at Johnny Torrio’s invitation. Torrio recognized Capone’s potential and installed him as his trusted lieutenant in the burgeoning criminal empire. When Torrio retired following an assassination attempt in 1925, Capone took full control of the operation.
Capone quickly consolidated his power, building the Chicago Outfit into one of the most formidable organized crime syndicates in America. Under his leadership, the Outfit controlled vast enterprises in bootlegging, illegal gambling, prostitution, and even legitimate businesses used as fronts.
Prohibition, enacted through the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act in 1920, had turned the illicit alcohol trade into a billion-dollar business. Capone thrived in this climate, supplying speakeasies across Chicago and beyond. He cultivated relationships with corrupt politicians and law enforcement, ensuring his criminal activities largely continued unchecked.
Capone’s Wealth and Lifestyle
By the late 1920s, Capone’s estimated income exceeded $100 million annually (equivalent to over $1.5 billion today). He flaunted his wealth openly:
- He wore custom-made silk suits and expensive jewelry.
- He drove luxurious, bulletproof Cadillac sedans.
- He frequented lavish nightclubs and hosted extravagant parties.
Despite his violent reputation, Capone sought to maintain a public image as a “Robin Hood” figure. He donated to charities, funded soup kitchens during the Great Depression, and was seen as a protector of his neighborhoods, buying goodwill from many Chicago residents.
The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Capone’s reign was marked by ruthless violence against rivals. The most notorious incident was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929. Seven members of Bugs Moran’s North Side gang were lined up against a garage wall in Chicago and machine-gunned in cold blood by assailants posing as police officers.
Though Capone was widely believed to have ordered the hit, law enforcement never directly linked him to the massacre, contributing to his aura of untouchability.
The Law Closes In
Capone’s flamboyant lifestyle and rising body count brought intense public and federal scrutiny. While local law enforcement struggled to make charges stick due to intimidation and bribery, the federal government devised a new strategy: Follow the money.
Treasury agent Eliot Ness and his squad, nicknamed “The Untouchables” because they refused bribes, relentlessly pursued Capone’s financial records. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors built a tax case, arguing that Capone’s visible wealth far exceeded any lawful income he claimed.
United States v. Capone
In 1931, the federal government indicted Capone for tax evasion, filing charges covering years of unreported income. The trial drew massive media attention, becoming one of the most famous courtroom battles of the century.
Capone initially tried to negotiate a plea deal, hoping to secure a lighter sentence. However, federal Judge James Herbert Wilkerson rejected the agreement, determined to impose a serious punishment.
After a high-profile trial featuring meticulous evidence of Capone’s finances, the jury convicted him on multiple counts of tax evasion.
Judgment and Imprisonment
On October 24, 1931, Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, fined $50,000, and ordered to pay approximately $215,000 in back taxes plus court costs.
He served time in several facilities, including the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta and the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz was reserved for the most dangerous or high-profile prisoners, and there Capone faced harsh conditions, isolated from his former influence.
While imprisoned, Capone’s health rapidly declined due to neurosyphilis, a result of untreated syphilis contracted years earlier. By the time of his parole in 1939, he was significantly debilitated, both physically and mentally.
Later Years and Death
After his release, Capone retreated to his mansion on Palm Island, Florida. He lived quietly, suffering from severe neurological symptoms that left him largely incoherent. Al Capone died of cardiac arrest on January 25, 1947, at age 48.
Capone’s Legacy
Al Capone remains one of America’s most iconic figures of organized crime. His life inspired countless books, films, and television portrayals, including characters like Tony Montana in Scarface and historical dramatizations in series like Boardwalk Empire.
While remembered for his ruthless violence, Capone’s downfall highlighted a turning point in law enforcement. His conviction demonstrated that even the most powerful gangsters could be brought down—not necessarily through violent charges, but through diligent financial investigation.
The case of United States v. Capone became a cornerstone in criminal justice history, showcasing how forensic accounting and federal tax laws could be formidable weapons against organized crime.
Today, Capone remains both a symbol of American gangster glamour and a cautionary tale of how power, violence, and crime ultimately collapse under the weight of justice.
