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Al Capone -

Al Capone's seven-year reign as a crime boss in Chicago made him one of the most notorious mobsters of the 20th century. An estimated 33 people died as a consequence of his actions, and it's believed he personally ordered the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. He grew up as he meant to live, involving himself in crime and facing down authority.

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Young Capone -

Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17, 1899. His parents were Italian immigrants from Angri, a small town near Naples. Capone is pictured as a youngster with his mother.

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Prohibition era -

Capone, one of eight children, came of age during the Prohibition era. Expelled from school for striking a teacher, he helped older brother Ralph run his bottling companies (both legal and illegal), but later became involved with small-time gangs.

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Five Points Gang -

One of these gangs was the powerful Five Points Gang (pictured), which was comprised of Italian immigrants and based in Lower Manhattan.

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John Torrio (1882–1957) -

It was as a member of the Five Points Gang that Capone met fellow gangster Johnny Torrio, who'd go on to help build the Chicago Outfit organized crime syndicate in the 1920s. Capone regarded Torrio as a mentor.

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"Scarface" -

While employed as a night club bouncer by Frankie Yale, another Five Points Gang member, Capone inadvertently insulted a woman while working the door. He was slashed with a knife three times on the left side of his face by the woman's brother, the wounds of which led to the nickname "Scarface," which Capone loathed. From then on he rarely allowed anybody to photograph him from the left side, though this image was captured shortly after the event.

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Marriage to Mae Coughlin -

On December 30, 1918, Capone married Mae Coughlin. Three weeks before their wedding, Mae reportedly gave birth to a son, Albert Francis "Sonny" Capone. Despite Capone's fearsome reputation and serial womanizing, she remained a devoted wife, even after he was imprisoned. She was distraught following his death, and remained out of the public spotlight thereafter. Occasionally, however, the press would catch up with her and attempt to photograph "Mrs. Al Capone" (pictured). Mae Capone died in 1986, aged 89.

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Move to Chicago -

In 1919, Capone left New York City for Chicago at the invitation of Johnny Torrio. Capone eventually became Torrio's right-hand man as the older mobster established a bootlegger's empire in the city that was eventually controlled by Al Capone himself. Pictured is Chicago's Michigan Avenue in 1925.

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Brothels and bootlegging -

Capone began his new life in Chicago as a bouncer in a brothel, where he contracted syphilis. But this was the Prohibition era and Capone was soon involved with bootleggers in Canada, who helped him smuggle liquor into the US.

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Control of the Chicago Outfit -

Johnny Torrio handed over control of the Chicago Outfit to Capone after surviving a hit in which he was shot several times. Capone used more violence to increase bootlegging revenue. As he grew rich, the mobster indulged in custom suits, cigars, gourmet food and drink, and female companionship. Meanwhile, the United States started to buckle under the weight of the Great Depression.

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The Great Depression -

Capone attempted to clean up his image by playing on public sentiment. He did this by donating to charities and even sponsored a soup kitchen (pictured), which was patronized every day by unemployed men who'd queue for hours for coffee and doughnuts.

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Home life -

But it was all a ruse. Capone used bribery and widespread intimidation to strengthen his grip on Chicago. He purchased a property at 7244 Prairie Avenue (pictured) in the Greater Grand Crossing community area of Chicago, where he lived with wife Mae and their son.

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Lexington Hotel -

Capone ran his Chicago operation from several hotels, most famously the Lexington Hotel, located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 22nd Street. The hotel closed in 1980 and was demolished in 1995.

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Frank Nitti (1886–1943) -

One of Al Capone's top henchmen, Frank Nitti was in charge of all money flowing through the operation. Like his boss, Nitti was eventually convicted of tax evasion, but served a much shorter sentence. After his release, Nitti effectively took control of the Chicago Outfit. Nitti died on March 19, 1943 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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Bugs Moran (1893–1957) -

Capone's South Side Gang wasn't the only mobster outfit operating in Chicago. Bugs Moran (pictured), together with H. Weiss, were leaders of the equally brutal North Side Gang. After Weiss was murdered in 1926, Moran competed with Capone for control of the city's lucrative bootlegging operations. A violent turf war ensued, which would culminate in one of the most notorious mob slayings in gangland history.

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St. Valentine's Day Massacre -

On February 14, 1929, seven members and associates of Moran's North Side Gang were gunned down by four unknown assailants who were dressed as police officers. The killings took place inside a garage in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Capone was widely assumed to be behind the killings. Pictured is a crowd of onlookers gathered outside the premises as one of the murder victims is placed in an ambulance.

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Lawlessness -

In the wake of the massacre, President Herbert Hoover was asked to intervene to stem Chicago's lawlessness. A special crime committee was sworn in over the bodies of the victims (pictured), which in turn spurred the creation of Eliot Ness' 'Untouchables' unit and spelled the beginning of the end for Capone.

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Eliot Ness (1903–1957) -

Prohibition agent Eliot Ness achieved nationwide fame for his efforts in bringing down Al Capone and the Chicago Outfit. Capone consistently denied responsibility for any murder of a rival gang member, and always managed to be somewhere else when a killing occurred. This prompted a multi-agency attack on Capone, with the Treasury and Justice Departments developing plans for income tax prosecutions against Chicago gangsters, operations coordinated by Ness and his team of Untouchables.  

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Miami, Florida -

In 1928, Capone, increasingly security-minded and desirous of getting away from Chicago, purchased a palatial estate in Miami, essentially as a winter retreat. But he often made sure he was in the Sunshine State just before a Chicago killing spree was about to take place. This way he could wash his hands of any wrongdoing, and avoid potential arrest.

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Life of leisure -

Capone is pictured in a bathing suit during one of his many Florida sojourns.

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Escape from reality -

Florida was Al Capone's escape from reality. His home there was a 14-room retreat located at 93 Palm Avenue on Palm Island (which still stands today). He never registered any property under his name, and never opened a bank account. He's pictured on his yacht fishing in Biscayne Bay, without a care in the world.

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Arrest -

But Capone had now caught the attention of the FBI. On March 27, 1929, he was arrested as he left a Chicago courtroom (pictured) after testifying to a grand jury that was investigating violations of federal Prohibition laws. He was later released, but in May of that year he was again arrested, this time for carrying a concealed weapon.

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Jail term -

Capone was sentenced to a prison term of one year and incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia (pictured). After his release in March 1930, the mobster was declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by law enforcement officials.

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Another arrest -

In April 1930, Capone was arrested for vagrancy while visiting Miami Beach. The governor had ordered sheriffs to run him out of the state. He was charged, but later acquitted. 

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Avoiding justice -

Capone had a knack for avoiding justice, as his FBI criminal record of 1932 testifies. Most of the criminal charges were discharged or dismissed due to lack of evidence or after buying out crooked officials.

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Alcatraz -

Capone's luck, however, was running out. Despite living a luxurious lifestyle, the crime boss had never filed a tax return. Ness and his team realized that collaring Capone for non-payment of taxes was the one sure way of bringing him down. Throughout 1931, Capone stood trial on several occasions charged with tax evasion. Finally, on October 17, 1931, he was convicted on five counts of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. Capone was initially sent to Atlanta US Penitentiary. But in August 1934, he was transferred to the recently opened Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary off the coast of San Francisco (pictured).

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Sickness -

Officially diagnosed with syphilis and gonorrhea, and suffering from withdrawal symptoms from cocaine addiction, Capone's health quickly deteriorated while at Alcatraz.

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Decline -

Capone completed his term in Alcatraz on January 6, 1939, having spent the last year of his sentence in the hospital section, confused and disoriented. His only visitors during his incarceration were his mother, a brother (both pictured), and wife Mae.

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Death -

Now terminally ill, Al Capone spent his final years at his mansion in Florida, cared for by his ever-faithful wife and spending time with his grandchildren. On January 21, 1947, Capone suffered a stroke. A few days later, he had a heart attack. On January 25, Al Capone died, surrounded by his family. Pictured is the death certificate listing bronchopneumonia and apoplexy as the cause of death.

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Burial -

Al Capone's body was transferred to Chicago where he was initially buried at Mount Olive Cemetery in Chicago. But in 1950, Capone's remains, along with those of his father, Gabriele, and brother, Salvatore, were moved to Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. Capone's grave marker is still visible today. Buried in the same cemetery is Frank Nitti, Capone's loyal henchman.

Sources: (FBI) (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) (Britannica)

See also: Alcatraz, America's notorious "rock" star

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