Biography of al Capone

The most interesting man in the history of Chicago’s underworld would most probably be the man nicknamed “Scarface”. This “scarface” gained notoriety because of his exploits and violence in the streets of Chicago. A man who started as a mediocre Italian boy growing up in Brooklyn and becoming arguably the most popular Mob boss in the whole of the United States, Al Capone was a superstar of the crime world. Producing magnanimous amounts of money all the way up, his richness was unparalleled during his time. It is his wealth, criminal activities, fame and fortune that put Al Capone on the international map.

Up until today, he has been an interesting subject due to his controversial actions and enviable wealth that was produced by illegal business activities. Al Capone’s rap sheet goes on and on. He was arrested for violating traffic rules, owning a prostitution den, and also for disorderly conduct which were all dismissed. Capone was also arrested for voting fraud, and twice for a suspicion of murder where hew was discharged. He also served time in Pennsylvania for carrying a concealed weapon and was fined in Illinois for the same accusation. (Lorizzo, 2003).

But the crime that convicted this infamous crime boss was tax evasion. His yearly income is interesting enough to discuss. AL CAPONE To further understand Al Capone, this paper includes a background about the man. The following paragraphs discusses the life and times of the infamous scarface, Al Capone. Named Alphonse Capone, he was given birth in Brooklyn, New York during the year 1899. Being born with Italian parents namely Gabriele and Teresa, Al was brought to the United States due to his parents migrating from Italy. During 1917, he was hired as a bouncer in Coney Island’ Harvard Inn.

He was caught in a fight. This was the cause of the three scars on his face which earned him his nickname. After quitting his job a couple of years later, during 1921, Capone went to Chicago and worked for Johnny Torrio. He was 22 and recruited as a bootlegger. After the passing of the National Prohibition Act during the year 1920, Torrio became one of the persons who set up an illegal alcohol business. Capone’s first job was to persuade people to but the illegal alcohol of Torrio. After three years, Al Capone was promoted as manager and became a business partner of Johnny Torrio.

After a while, he took over the business. Capone operated 161 illegal drinking establishments and grew into a policy of using violence just to seize the competition. The wealth he had conquered due to these illegal activities and killings made Al Capone a superstar in the crimeworld, almost feared by most men. A series of massacres was undertaken by Capone’s gang. One of which was the most notorious St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. During February 14, 1929, dressed in police uniforms, Capone’s men created a diversion as if they were really police officers.

The place was a building and headquarters of George “Bus” Moran, who is also a bottlegger, and his North Side gang. It was reported that two machine guns and two shotguns were used to kill the men. 150 bullets was the total that Capone fired into the victims. Killed were six from Moran’s gang and one was an unlucky friend. Capone having an alibi, said that during the massacre he was in Florida. Just a few were convicted and arrested of the murderers during the period of Capone. The likes of him were capable to manipulate people especially the police and also the potential witnesses by using bribery.

Many cases were evaded by Capone but during June 5, 1931 he was indicted 22 counts of tax evasion. During the October 6, he was found guilty on 5 counts of tax evasion. His appeals were denied during May 3 of 1932 and by that year also, he began to serve his time in the Atlanta Penitentiary. After a few years, exactly August 19, 1934, Capone was transferred to Alcatraz. During 1939, he was also moved to Terminal Island, south of Los Angeles. On the 8th of November the same year, Capone was transferred to Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. He paroled on the 16th of November. During 1939, Capone was diagnosed with Syphilis.

In January of 1945, Al Capone became as one of the initial civilians who got penicillin treatment due to syphilis. During the twenty-fifth of January, 1947, Alphonse Capone died. (Lorizzo, 2003). Al Capone became a very affluent man. It was believed that during the 1920s’ Capone payed $20,000 for an automobile, which during that time was a huge amount of money. His wealth and notoriety launched his popularity but it was also the cause of his demise. “After pouring over his outlays for foods and services from 1926 to 1929 and adding in his fixed possessions, they cam up with about $165,000 of taxable income.

Given the assumption that Capone was taking in up to $100 million some years, the amount seemed trivial. Yet it made the case against Capone possible. The legality of such a net worth case was still to be decided by the Supreme Court. ” (Lorizzo, p. 76, 2003). CONCLUSION Al Capone was a man who changed the scene of the underworld of crime and violence. He walked the earth as a notorious and feared man of high rank. There was even an estimation that he had incomes of $60,000,000 for alcohol, $25,000. 000 from gambling establishments, $10,000,000 from other rackets and another $10,000,000 for vices.

It was also claimed that “Scarface” employed over 600 gangsters just to defend his business from other counterpart gangs. A lot can be said about Capone, affluent, violent, intelligent and a lot more. But the most appropriate definition of Al Capone would be, is that he was a man of character. Whether a bad guy, he rose to fame and still is an interesting personality until today. WORKS CITED Lorizzo, Luciano. Al Capone: A Biography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003. http://foia. fbi. gov/foiaindex/capone. htm http://www. chicagohs. org/history/capone. html http://www. umich. edu/~eng217/student_projects/nkazmers/thelaw1. html