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Al Capone

Al Capone
Al Capone in 1930.jpg
Al Capone in 1930
Born Alphonse Gabriel Capone
(1899-01-17)January 17, 1899
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died January 25, 1947(1947-01-25) (aged 48)
Palm Island, Florida, U.S.
Resting place Mount Carmel Cemetery
Nationality American
Other names , Big Al, Big Boy,
Occupation Gangster, bootlegger, racketeer, boss of Chicago Outfit
Height 5' 10½" (1,79 m)
Criminal charge Tax evasion
Criminal penalty 11-year sentence in Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary and Alcatraz
Spouse(s) Mae Capone (m. 1918–1947)
Children Albert Francis "Sonny" Capone (1918–2004)
Signature
Al Capone Signature.svg

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (/æl kəˈpn/; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who attained fame during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit. His seven-year reign as crime boss ended when he was 33 years old.

Capone was born in Brooklyn in New York City to Italian immigrants. He was considered a Five Points Gang member who became a bouncer in organized crime premises such as brothels. In his early twenties, he moved to Chicago and became bodyguard and trusted factotum for Johnny Torrio, head of a criminal syndicate that illegally supplied alcohol—the forerunner of the Outfit—and that was politically protected through the Unione Siciliana. A conflict with the North Side Gang was instrumental in Capone's rise and fall. Torrio went into retirement after North Side gunmen almost killed him, handing control to Capone. 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 that Capone seemed safe from law enforcement.

Capone apparently reveled in attention, such as the cheers from spectators when he appeared at ball games. He made donations to various charities and was viewed by many to be a "modern-day Robin Hood". However, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre of gang rivals, resulting in the killing of seven men in broad daylight, damaged Chicago's image—as well as Capone's—leading influential citizens to demand governmental action and newspapers to dub him "Public Enemy No. 1".


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