Alphonso Gabriel "Al" Capone, one of the most famous names of the American mafia, was born in 1899 in New York, USA. Originally the child of a family from Naples, Al Capone worked in different jobs at an early age. He was nicknamed "Scarface" because of the three wounds he received on his face while working as a guard in a bar.
Al Capone rose to prominence in the mob scene thanks to the Prohibition era in America in the 1920s. He earned a lot of money from liquor smuggling in Chicago, especially during the prohibition period. He had one of his own men elected mayor of Cicero, a suburb of Chicago, and continued his illegal business legally.
Alphonse Gabriel Capone (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. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he went to prison at the age of 33.
Al Capone, who concealed his mafia affairs with the casinos he owned, reached a considerable number of rivals and enemies. In 1929, the expected situation was, and the tension turned into a war. On February 14 of the same year, he killed seven people from the rival gang. Al Capone's connection has never been proven in this incident, known as the "Valentine's Day Massacre". Al Capone, who did dirty work and committed murders throughout his life, was arrested and imprisoned in 1929 for tax evasion, not for these crimes. He died in 1947.
Famous Al Capone sayings:
"When I see a man in the morning, I consider it a coincidence. If I see the same man again at noon, I get suspicious. When we meet in the evening, I will draw my gun and shoot him without hesitation. I do not believe in coincidences."
"I was always sad that I didn't have shoes on my feet, I saw a man without feet on the road and that's why I'm in this state."
"Sweet tongue and a gun are more effective than sweet tongue alone."
"When I sell liquor, it's smuggling. When bosses present it on a silver platter, it's hospitality."
"Capitalism is the legitimate gang of the ruling class."
Life story
Alphonse Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Gabriele Capone, was a barber and his mother, Teresina Capone, was a seamstress. His family, said to have been originally Jewish, pretended to be Catholic.
The family had nine children named Alphonse Scarface Al Capone, James Capone (also known as Two-Gun), Raffaele Capone (Raffaele Kasa Capone), Salvatore Frank Capone, John Capone, Albert Capone, Matthew Capone, Rose Capone, and Mafalda Capone.
Some of his brothers helped him in his illegal business. His family moved from Italy to the United States in 1893. Al Capone attended a very strict local Catholic school and was expelled at the age of 14 for punching his female teacher. He worked in the candy store and bowling alley. During this period, he was influenced by casino player Johnny Torrio. Frankie was a bartender at Yale's Harvard Inn nightclub.
In a short time, he became involved with various gangs. He joined the Manhattan-based Five Points Gang. During this period, mafia members of Sicilian origin infiltrated the territory of mafia members of Irish origin. The Five Points Gang was organized in the United States. Lucky Luciano, Vito Genovese, Johnny Torrio, Meyer Lansky, and Frankie Yale; were important men in the gang. Capone was handling Frankie Yale's collection and hitman duties, while also working at the nightclub.
While working here, he was attacked by Frank Gallucio, the older brother of the girl he had insulted. He received three stab wounds to the left side of his face. He got the name Scarface because of these scars and later claimed that he received these scars in war, thus strengthening his patriotic image. However, it is said that Capone polished his shoes with the US flag. He took over the Chicago Outfit after Torrio fled to Italy.
He married Mae Josephine Coughlin on December 30, 1917. Coughlin was a Catholic of Irish descent. On December 4, 1918, his son Albert Francis Sonny Capone was born.
The smuggling network extended to the eastern coast of the USA. Here, the Jewish Purple Gang, based in Detroit, was bringing in smuggled whiskey thanks to Blaise Diesbourg, also known as the King of Canada, and drinks produced in the northeast of the USA were also transported at night.
With the help of Meyer Lansky, the Purple Gang became an ally of the Chicago Outfit. Increasing his legal and political power, Capone moved his headquarters to the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. After the Valentine's Day Massacre, this place became known as Capone's Castle.
Mayor William Big Bill Hale Thompson, who had expelled him from Chicago at the time, was bribed and the smuggling business was facilitated. Chicago was filled with casinos and distilleries.
Political power
Al Capone staffed the mafia organization within the state. He established close friendships with many statesmen. In this way, their actions were turned a blind eye. After Meyer Lansky introduced Capone to President Hoover, his career boom accelerated. Hoover had driven the state into the Great Depression as a result of his wrong economic policies, and the unions were constantly on the move. Capone struggled to suppress workers' strikes. In addition, he tried to ensure that the USA was not affected by the communist wave.
Many unemployed criminals were queuing in front of their workplaces, trying to find a job. There were long queues in the restaurants he opened. He gave lectures at places such as North Western University. He laundered the illegal money he earned by opening laundromat chains. He is considered the founder of the statist mafia because he carried the mafia organization to the state level. He is the first person to receive antibiotic treatment for syphilis. He made donations to associations with the wealth he earned. Al Capone, who turned into a folk hero over time, was accepted by some as the modern Robin Hood. This image he created in the eyes of the public was damaged by the Valentine's Day Massacre.
Al Capone was sentenced to eight months in prison for carrying an unlicensed gun on May 17, 1929. Later, in 1931, an investigation was opened against him for tax evasion. After a long trial, Capone was found guilty on October 17, 1931. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and a fine commensurate with his assets.
He went to Atalanta Prison with special rights in 1932. He was later sent to Lincoln and Alcatraz Prison. At Alcatraz, he was completely cut off from his men and the outside world. In this prison, he was attacked by James Lucas, a bank robber from Texas. Lucas was thrown into a single room. He was transferred to another prison in California on January 6, 1939.
He was released on parole on November 16, 1939. He stayed in the hospital for a while and returned to Florida. Frank Nitti, who replaced Capone in the gang, intensified the war with Moran and put the gang in harm's way. Capone could not return to the gang.
His prison days and his separation from the gang led Al Capone to depression. His health problems became increasingly severe due to syphilis. As a result of the tests carried out by psychiatrists, it was observed that the perception level decreased to the level of 12 years old. Capone's condition, whose mental balance was partially impaired, worsened at his home in Florida on January 21, 1947, and he suffered a stroke. Al Capone died on January 25, 1947. His body was cremated in Illinois and buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.