Al Capone: The rise and fall of the world's most notorious gangster

Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York.

His parents were both poor Italian immigrants from Naples.

He was the fourth of nine children and grew up in a rough neighborhood where he joined several street gangs as a teenager.

After dropping out of school after sixth grade, Capone various odd jobs while also getting involved in petty crimes and violence.

Then, his criminal career began as a member of the Five Points Gang in New York City.

It was here that he quickly established himself as a skilled enforcer and debt collector.

Apparently, at was at this time that he also earned his nickname "Scarface" after he was slashed by a rival gang member over a girl at a bar.

In 1920, when the United States government passed the 18th Amendment, which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol, Capone saw an opportunity to make vast profits by trafficking in illegal booze.

So, he moved to Chicago, where he quickly became the head of the city's most powerful criminal organization: the Chicago Outfit.

Very quickly, Capone became one of the main bootleggers in the city. To do this, he smuggled alcohol in from Canada and other nearby states.

He also established a network of speakeasies, or secret bars, where customers could drink and enjoy entertainment.

Under Capone's leadership, the Chicago Outfit became the most powerful criminal organization in the country, with an estimated annual income of over $100 million.

However, Capone's empire also extended to a wide range of illegal activities, including bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, and outright extortion.

It is interesting to note that he also gained control of several legitimate businesses.

For example, he owned a number of nightclubs and restaurants, all of which served as convenient 'fronts' for his criminal activities.

As was to be expected, Capone's success attracted attention from other gangs who wanted a piece of his growing wealth.

He faced fierce competition from the North Side Gang, led by Dion O'Banion, Bugs Moran, and Hymie Weiss.

The two gangs frequently engaged in a bloody war for control of Chicago's bootlegging market.

During this conflict, both sides resorted to assassinations and bombings in an attempt to intimidate each other.

This led to the notorious St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929. This was when seven members of Moran's gang were gunned down by Capone's men disguised as police officers.

Capone's reign of terror made him a celebrity in the media and a hero to some segments of the public who admired his charisma and generosity.

The generous part of his nature is a surprise to most people, both now and then.

However, there were reports that he often donated money to charities and sponsored soup kitchens during the Great Depression.

That is not to say that he was not also a very selfish person. He cultivated an extremely lavish lifestyle: living in a mansion with bulletproof windows and driving an armored car.

In addition, he always wore expensive suits and jewelry, smoked Cuban cigars, and socialised with the rich and powerful members of the Chicago community.

The downfall of Al Capone began when the United States government started investigating him for tax evasion.

Capone, like many other gangsters of the time, made most of his money from illegal activities such as bootlegging and gambling, but he failed to report his earnings to the IRS.

In 1931, after a lengthy investigation, Capone was indicted on 22 counts of tax evasion.

During his trial, the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence of Capone's vast wealth and his involvement in organized crime.

However, Capone's defense team argued that their client was simply a legitimate businessman who had been unfairly targeted by the government.

Despite the defense's efforts, Capone was found guilty on five counts of tax evasion.

As a result, he was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, along with a $50,000 fine and court costs.

In addition, the judge in the case also ordered Capone to pay back taxes of over $200,000, plus interest and penalties.

This brought the total amount owed to over $300,000.

Capone was sent to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was initially treated as a 'celebrity inmate' due to his fame and notoriety.

However, his time in prison was far from luxurious, and he soon found himself struggling with deteriorating health.

Then, in 1934, Capone was transferred to the notorious Alcatraz prison, where he spent several years in isolation.

By this time though, his criminal empire had begun to crumble and he had lost much of his influence.

In his absence, his subordinates had turned on each other and law enforcement agencies worked to finally dismantle the Chicago Outfit.

Capone was eventually released from prison in 1939, having served seven years of his sentence.

However, his health had been severely impacted by his time behind bars; he was no longer the powerful figure he had once been.

He chose to retire to his mansion in Florida, where he lived out the rest of his life until his death in 1947. 

He was only 48 years old.