Al Capone

Author: Brenda Edith Cetina Juárez

Degree in criminology
October 15, 2021

The decade of the 20's were a time of social changes and technological advances in the US, which also included the depression of 29 and a certain sexual liberalism. Jazz and Charleston flooded the streets with their unique rhythm. Time in which women showed off knee-length mini skirts and short hair and in which Coco Chanel stood out. Period in which female suffrage and the entry into force of the dry law are also given.
In the state of Chicago, the prohibition law had unsaturated activities related to the smuggling of alcohol, which consequently gave rise to wars, massacres and settling of accounts between the smuggling gangs that filled the streets with blood, turning the state into the capital of organized crime.
Al Capone was born in the state of New York in 1899, descendant of Italian parents who had migrated to the United States and who at an early age entered and was accepted as a member of the Johnny Torrio (“Papa Johnny”) band; the greatest mafia leader of that time and who had established a powerful empire of smuggling alcohol that came from Canada crossing Lake Michigan at night; who years later would leave his empire in the hands of his right hand: Alphonse Capone.
Nicknamed "Scarface" due to a scar on the left side of his face, produced by a razor, ironically made by his later brother-in-law; is often described as a person strutting through the streets of Chicago with his cigar in hand and a striking ring on his little finger, in expensive suits and diamonds, cufflinks and belt buckles of the same quality, and without fail, surrounded of their safety ("gorillas" so called by journalists), certainly nothing discreet.
On the other hand, on February 14, 1929 or what is known as "the Valentine's Day massacre", was a planned and orchestrated attack by Al Capone against the men of his competitor "Bugs" Moran, when a spy from Capone planted the idea with Moran, that shipments of liquor would reach Capone and he took the bait; Moran's men were hopelessly shot to death by Capone's men heavily armed with Thompson machine guns, Capone's favorite weapon.
More than 200 deaths were attributed to this mobster, of which agent Eliot Ness and his team of agents called: "the untouchables" could not connect Capone with any of them, among these deaths that of a young prosecutor: Billy McSwiggin who had made comments about putting Scarface behind bars and who was mysteriously gunned down shortly after.
Capone's career was by far greater than that of his mentor (Papa Johnny) as he controlled hundreds of brothels, bars, and gambling dens that even housed politicians and policemen of all ranks. Although Capone was the target of many crimes, there were none that could be proven or linked to him until that time, it was until a decision of the Supreme Court to establish taxes on income from the sale of alcohol and in general illegal activities, that stopped Scarface, as they managed to link gambling receipts and tax evasion with him, achieving an 11-year prison sentence on October 17, 1931, a sentence he mostly purged on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.
After 7 years of sentence, in 1939 he was released, however, it did not last long since a disease (syphilis) afflicted him and it was the one that on January 21, 1947, ended his life in his home on Palm Island, Miami, giving end to the famous gangster and with him the others, since with the new law the capture of most of the gangsters of the time was achieved and for the same reasons.

Bibliography
Cohen, F. (2021). Al Capone. Public Enemy No. 1. Very special (Very interesting), 95.
Investigation, FB (nd). FBI: Famous cases & criminals. Retrieved July 27, 2021, from https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/al-capone
Llorente, A. (January 27, 2018). BBC World. Retrieved on July 27, 2021, from An exemplary husband: The secrets of the private life of Al Capone, the most famous mobster in history .: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-42561123