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Al CaponeAmerican gangster. Chicago gangster Al Capone, the son of a poor barber, was a symbol of lawlessness during Prohibition.
Date of Birth: 17.01.1899
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Al Capone
- Early Life
- Rise to Power
- The Corporation of Killers
- The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
- Downfall
- Later Life and Death
Biography of Al Capone
IntroductionAl Capone, an American gangster, ruled over Chicago for 14 years, during which 700 murders were committed by the mafia, 400 of which were ordered by Capone himself. Alphonse Gabriel Capone, better known by his nickname Al Capone, was born in Naples, Italy in 1899 (according to his own claim), or in Castellammare four years earlier, according to another version.
Early Life
In 1909, Capone's family, like many other Italians, moved to New York in search of a better life. While his older brother Richard became a police officer, Alfonso (Al Capone) chose a different path. He started as an assistant to a butcher in Brooklyn, but soon got involved in the criminal world. He began his criminal career as a "gofer" in a local gang, but his skills were soon noticed and he was promoted to a professional hitman. His first "job" was the murder of a stubborn Chinese man who refused to share the profits from his restaurant.
Rise to Power
During the struggle for control of the "Sicilian Union," Frank Aiello killed the head of the union, Big Jim Colosimo, in order to place Johnny Torrio in his position. In the mid-1920s, Frank Aiello and Johnny Torrio invited Capone to Chicago. After working as a bartender and bouncer, Capone took on the nickname Al Brown and became Torrio's assistant. He became a bootlegger, illegally selling alcohol during the prohibition era, and built a reliable group of enforcers. The "Sicilian Union" of gangsters became a widespread profession for hired killers.
The Corporation of Killers
In the 1930s, within the framework of the mafia syndicate, the so-called "Corporation of Killers" was created, which united hired hitmen. This corporation operated on a national scale and functioned with the punctuality, precision, and efficiency of a well-oiled machine.
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
In 1929, Al Capone ordered the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In retaliation for stealing Capone's trucks and blowing up several of his bars, Capone's henchmen lured members of Bugs Moran's gang to a garage and gunned them down. Six gangsters were killed, and another died from his injuries in the hospital.
Downfall
In the 1930s, the FBI, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, developed new methods to combat the mafia. They often charged mobsters with smaller crimes instead of proving their involvement in murders. Capone was initially sentenced to prison for carrying a concealed weapon, and later for tax evasion. He spent 10 months in jail before being transferred to a federal prison in Atlanta, and eventually to Alcatraz Island.
Later Life and Death
While imprisoned, Capone continued to run his empire, but his influence diminished when he was transferred to Alcatraz. In 1939, he was released early due to his deteriorating health caused by late-stage syphilis. Capone spent his remaining years in his Florida home. He died on January 25, 1947, from a heart attack and pneumonia. Prior to his death, he received the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Capone was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Chicago, but his grave became a tourist attraction, leading his family to move his remains to a different cemetery.
