Al CaponeNow here is an unforgettable moment in the annals of American crime and business history. On this day in 1931, notorious and legendary mobster Al Capone was indicted on 5,000 counts of prohibition and perjury - only 32 years old at the time. "I own the police" was Capone's frequent boast, and up until his conviction it seemed true. In October of the same year, Capone was found guilty of evading $231,000 in income taxes, sentenced to 11 years in prison, and thus his career as a mobster was over.
Capone's sentence was shortened to six and a half years (for being on his "best" behavior). When he finally got out of Alcatraz, Capone was too sick to carry on his life of crime like he did for many years before his conviction and returned to Miami in 1939. Public Enemy Number One, ravaged by syphilis, died of cardiac arrest on January 25, 1947, just a week after his 48th birthday. In the end, it tool federal, state, and local authorities to end Capone's reign as America's foremost underworld boss.
Al Capone, who was also known as “Scarface,” led a crime scene that was dedicated to the smuggling and stealing of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Capone moved to Chicago and became the boss of the criminal organization known as the Chicago Outfit.
Now for a neat fact....did you know that Capone had business cards that read, "Alphonse Capone, Second Hand Furniture Dealer, 2222 S. Wabash?" Not that is publicity in disguise!
If you like to read more about the subject, here is a nifty website that I came across regarding the recent unveiling of Capone's income tax invasion investigation. Regardless of his tax and other personal troubles, Al Capone was a shrewd businessman. He will always be remembered for both the business success of his criminal operation as well as for the violent way it was built. Not the best legacy to leave history, but a legacy nonetheless.
