Alphonso Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1899. He quit school in sixth grade to be part of a street gang. The leader was Johnny Torrio. Their rackets spawned by enactment of the prohibition law, illegal brewing and distribution of alcohol.
In 1925 Torrio got severly wounded in an assasination attempt. Capone took the lead of the gang and he was soon to be known as a cold-blooded and violent gangster by eliminating almost all of his enemies. A good example of this is the Valentine massacre. On 14th February 1929 seven members of the "bugs" Moran gang were brutally machine-gunned down by rival gang members wearing police uniforms. Al Capone was the organiser of of the assasinations although at the time of the massacre he had checked in at a hotel in Florida. He would always have a solid alibi and he would get other people to do his dirty work.
Although he was a violent gangster he hid his buisness under "Al Capone 2" which was a respectable buisness man. He was popular among the public for two reasons: He gave them what they wanted during the prohibtion; alcohol. Secondnly, during the depression he opened soup kitchens and gave the poor people financial support.
On May 17th 1929 he was arrested together with his bodyguard in Philadelpha for illegally carrying deadly weapons. They were both sentenced for one year in prison. Capone served his time and was let out on March 17th 1930 for good behaviour.
Again, on October 17th 1931 Capone was sentenced for eleven years in federal prison, as well as having to pay a total of $272 692 for tax evasion and prohibtion charges.
He was released in 1939 but was no longer fit enough to practise gangland politics. He died due to stroke on January 25th, 1947. |