Al Capone Biography
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During the early part of the 20th century, many gangsters in New York came from poor families. However, where Al Capone was concerned, his father was educated and worked as a barber. Capone’s parents were from Naples, Italy and had come to New York in 1893 for a better life.
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It was on January 17, 1899 that Gabriele and Teresina proudly announced the birth of another son named Alphonse, who the world later on knew as Scarface or Al Capone. There were a total of 9 Capone siblings and Al was the fourth one.
When Capone was around 14 years old, he got expelled from school for hitting a female teacher. After that he decided not to return. Instead he joined a street gang called James Street Boys whose leader was Johnny Torrio. It was while Capone was a street gang member, he got cut on the left cheek during a fight in a brothel. While the cut healed, it left him with a permanent scar and this was the reason that he was nicknamed Scarface.
In 1909, Torrio decided to relocate to Chicago as he had to help manage a huge brothel business. And, then after 10 years, in 1919, he sent word for Capone to join him. In 1920, Torrio’s boss was assassinated and this paved way for Torrio to become the boss. It is believed that the assassination was carried out either by Al or Frankie Yale. By the time Torrio took over the reins, Prohibition had started in the US. This paved way for bootlegging and allowed people to make a lot of money. When Torrio decided to retire in 1925, he handed over the reins to Al Capone. As a result, Capone began controlling a crime syndicate consisting of prostitution, bootlegging and gambling. However, he also began expanding his territory and this led to many gang fights and wars. Perhaps the most well-know gang war was the merciless killing of Bugs Moran’s gang members on 14 February 1929. This gunning down was aptly namely Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre.
However, with all the fame and fortune, Al Capone could not evade the long arms of law. It was in 1931 in the month of June that he was finally indicted for evading federal income tax. He was found guilty and was convicted to a prison sentence of 11 years and a penalty of $80,000. Initially, Capone was housed in Atlanta and later he was sent to Alcatraz. However, during his prison term, his syphilis had reached the last stage, so he was set free and sent to Baltimore Hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, Al Capone could not control his criminal empire from prison and it began falling apart. Also, the syphilis had affected his brain and cognition. After leaving the hospital, Capone lived in Florida and breathed his last in 1947.
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Biography: Al Capone
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Al Capone was famous gangster during the 1920s in the US. He rose to power after his mentor and boss Johnny Torrio retired and handed over the reigns of his criminal empire to Capone. It was during this time that Al Capone gained notoriety, and it was also the time when prohibition was imposed in the country. While Al Capone was a gangster, he also influenced the society. You may wonder how.