On January 25, 1947, he died of cardiac arrest after a stroke.Ĭapone was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York on January 17, 1899. Capone showed signs of neurosyphilis early in his sentence and became increasingly debilitated before being released after almost eight years of incarceration. After conviction, he replaced his defense team with experts in tax law, and his grounds for appeal were strengthened by a Supreme Court ruling, but his appeal ultimately failed. He was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. During a highly publicized case, the judge admitted as evidence Capone's admissions of his income and unpaid taxes, made during prior (and ultimately abortive) negotiations to pay the government taxes he owed. The federal authorities became intent on jailing Capone and charged him with 22 counts of tax evasion. However, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, in which seven gang rivals were murdered in broad daylight, damaged the public image of Chicago and Capone, leading influential citizens to demand government action and newspapers to dub Capone "Public Enemy No.1". He made donations to various charities and was viewed by many as a "modern-day Robin Hood". Capone expanded the bootlegging business through increasingly violent means, but his mutually profitable relationships with mayor William Hale Thompson and the city's police meant he seemed safe from law enforcement.Ĭapone apparently reveled in attention, such as the cheers from spectators when he appeared at ball games. Torrio went into retirement after North Side gunmen almost killed him, handing control to Capone. A conflict with the North Side Gang was instrumental in Capone's rise and fall.
In his early twenties, he moved to Chicago and became a bodyguard and trusted factotum for Johnny Torrio, head of a criminal syndicate that illegally supplied alcohol-the forerunner of the Outfit-and was politically protected through the Unione Siciliana. He joined the Five Points Gang as a teenager and became a bouncer in organized crime premises such as brothels. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he went to prison at the age of 33.Ĭapone was born in New York City in 1899 to Italian immigrant parents. 8 siblings, including James Vincenzo Capone, Ralph Capone and Frank CaponeĪlphonse Gabriel Capone ( / k ə ˈ p oʊ n/ January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname " Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit.