Transcript  Al Capone was the most powerful gangster to ever live, working his way up the ranks to eventually become the king of.

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Al Capone was the most powerful gangster to
ever live, working his way up the ranks to
eventually become the king of his own
criminal empire. Capone was cunning,
deceptive, ruthless, and willing to do
whatever was necessary to stay on top.
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Born January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, NY
Son of Italian immigrants
Wife-Mae Josephine Coughlin, Son-Albert
Francis “Sonny” Capone
Boss of the criminal organization known as
the Chicago Outfit
Supplied the Chicago underworld with
alcohol during the Prohibition Era
Most feared mobster of his time
Al Capone
One observation-”…a
big fat man with a cigar
and a $50,000 pinkie
ring…a jowly smiling
Satan…with two scars
across his left cheek. He
weighed over two-fifty,
yet despite his bulk and
the sloppy grin, he could
move with lethal speed
and force. Not an
articulate man, he was
nonetheless
charismatic: warm,
charming, generous. A
big tipper” (Yancey 72).
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Dropped out of school at the age of 14 after getting
into a fistfight with his sixth grade teacher
Moved to 21 Garfield Place; in this neighborhood, he
met his mentor Johnny Torrio, and his wife, Mae
Torrio was one of the most successful gangsters on
the East Coast, and was a role model to many boys,
including Al Capone
Capone started out as an errand boy for Torrio, but
would eventually move up
At the same time, he would learn about how Torrio’s
organization ran, and he would use this knowledge in
the future when he took over for Torrio in Chicago
later on
Johnny Torrio
Johnny Torrio was the first of
the modern gangsters. He ran
his empire like a business,
allowing it to expand as
needed. Torrio was very
organized and used his
administrative skill to craft the
most successful criminal
organization on the East Coast.
Torrio would lay the foundation
for Capone’s rise to power in
Chicago.
After Torrio moved to Chicago in 1909, Capone would join
up with a few street gangs: first the South Brooklyn
Rippers, then the Forty Thieves Juniors, and then the Five
Point Juniors
 Few schools and churches had organizations for kids, so
many kids would create their own clubs and get involved
in crime
 For the most part, Capone was a good kid who helped
support his family while working at a munitions factory,
and then as a paper cutter
 When he was 18, Capone went to go work as a bartender
for Frankie Yale, a violent Brooklyn gangster whose
aggressive personality would rub off on the soft-spoken
Capone
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While working at the Harvard Inn, Yale’s bar,
Capone made a lewd comment to a women
eating at the restaurant with her brother
 Her brother, Frank Gallucio, punched Capone,
pulled out a knife and cut Capone’s face three
times, leaving scars that would earn him the
name “Scarface”
 Capone was later forced to apologize to Gallucio
 This experience taught Capone to restrain his
temper when necessary, a quality he would have
to use later if he were to be a successful crime
boss
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Frankie Yale
This is a NYPD mug shot of
Frankie Yale. Capone would
later give the order to have Yale
killed for hijacking alcohol
shipments from him. On July 1,
1928, Yale’s car was forced off
the road by 4 men in a Buick
sedan. His car was found
riddled with machine gun
bullets, marking the first time a
Tommy gun was used in New
York gangland warfare.
After he married Mae and after the birth of his
son, Capone decided to focus on a legitimate
career, so he moved to Baltimore to work for a
construction firm as a bookkeeper
 On November 14, 1920, Gabriele Capone, Al’s
father, died suddenly of heart disease at the age
of 55
 With the loss of his father, Capone turned to
Torrio, who invited Capone to Chicago to take
part in the criminal empire he was creating
 In early 1921, Capone decided to accept Torrio’s
offer.
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Capone quickly moved from Torrio’s
employee to his partner
In 1921, Capone took over as manager of the
Four Deuces, which was a speakeasy
,whorehouse, and a gambling joint
At this time Capone also met one of his
lifelong friends, Jack Guzick, a Jewish man
with a lifestyle resembling Torrio’s
Jack Guzick
Guzick was a devoted family
man who acted as a big brother
to Capone. Capone’s friendship
with Guzick showcased his
ability to ignore racial
prejudices and to create
alliances outside of the Italian
community, which would aid
him greatly in the future.
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After an unsuccessful attempt on his life, Torrio decided to give up
running the organization, and handed over his power to Capone
After the reform-minded William E. Denver took over as mayor of
Chicago, ousting the corrupt mayor “Big Bill” Thompson, it became much
more difficult to continue day to day operations in the city
Capone moved the operation to Cicero, where he could take over the
government and work unrestrained
He installed his older brother, Frank, as the front man of the Cicero
government
Capone used threats, kidnapping, and violence to fix elections, such as
the election of 1924
On election day, the Chicago PD cornered Frank Capone and shot him to
death in retaliation of Al’s escalation of violence
Capone escalated the violence again, leading to stolen ballot boxes and
one dead official
Capone took Cicero, but at the cost of his brother’s life
Jack Guzick was assaulted by Joe Howard, a small
time criminal, after Guzick turned him down for a loan
 Guzick told Capone this, and Capone went after
Howard, tracking him down in a bar, where Capone
shot him dead
 William H. McSwiggin, “the hanging prosecutor,” was
not able to convict Capone of murder because the
witnesses suddenly forgot what had happened when
they appeared at the trial
 Capone used his power to get away with murder, but
the attention it brought to him would only continue to
get stronger
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When Capone inherited Torrio’s empire,
Capone’s power grew substantially, unmatched
by anyone
Capone moved his headquarters to the
Metropole hotel, which cost him $1,500 a day for
a five room suite
He used his persona to gain favorable public
opinion, appearing at public events and, of
course, supplying everyone with alcohol
“All I’ve done is supply a public demand. They
say I violated the prohibition law. Who doesn’t?”
–Al Capone
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Because of ongoing problems and competition with George
“Bugs” Moran and his north side gang, Capone decided it was time
to take them out
From his home in Palm Island, FL, where he moved after the
political heat and pressure from the Chicago PD became too
much, he and Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn planned an elaborate
hit on the leaders of Moran’s gang
Fred “Killer” Burke, James Ray, John Scalise, and Albert Anselmi
pretended to be police, and busted Moran’s gang at the garage
where a whiskey deal was supposed to be taking place
As told, Moran’s gang lined up against a wall, and with their own
guns, they were murdered, all except Frank Gusenburg, who was
still breathing after the shooting
The men then walked out, two acting like they were the
bootleggers, and the other two acting as police officers, and got
into a stolen police car and drove off
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The main target, “Bugs” Moran was not at the
scene, having seen the police car before hand
and took off
The man left alive, Frank Gusenburg, was still
alive when the police found him, but he refused
to say who shot him, and he died a short while
later
Everyone knew it was Capone who had set up
the hit, but because there was no proof, and
because he was so far away, it was impossible to
implicate him as the mastermind of the plot
The St. Valentines Day
Massacre
This is a photo from the
assassination of Moran’s north
side gang. No one was ever
charged with the murders
because both suspects, Capone
and McGurn, had perfect alibis.
“The Blonde Alibi”
George McGurn used his wife,
Louise Rolf, to cover up his
involvement in the plot of The
St. Valentines Day Massacre.
Then his girlfriend, he checked
into a hotel the day of the
assassination. Later on, he
married Rolf so she would not
be able to testify against him in
court.
In May, 1929, Capone was arrested in Philadelphia, PA
on suspicion of tax evasion
 At the trial, Capone first attempted a guilty plea, but
the judge James Wilkerson stated, “It is time for
somebody to impress upon the defendant that it is
utterly impossible to bargain with a federal court.”
 Capone then tried to fix the jury with threats and
bribes, but when the prosecution found out, they
switched the jury, to Capone’s surprise
 On October 17, 1931, Capone was found guilty on
some counts of tax evasion, and was sentenced to
eleven years in prison, plus fines and court fees
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Capone was originally sent to the U.S. Penitentiary in
Atlanta, but once word got out that he was living
better than the other prisoners thanks to extra
clothes, food, and special treatment, he was sent to
Alcatraz in August, 1934 to finish his sentence
 Capone had contracted syphilis early on in his life, and
now it began to attack his brain and nervous system,
leaving him confused and disoriented
 He was released from prison in November 1939, and
was taken to a hospital in Baltimore, where he was
treated until March of 1940
 Al Capone died of cardiac arrest on January 25, 1947 at
the age of 48
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Al Capone’s grave
Al Capone was originally
buried at Mount Olivet
Cemetery on the South Side of
Chicago, along with his father,
Gabriel and brother, Frank. The
three were then moved in
March of 1950 to Mount Carmel
Cemetery on the West Side.
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His character has been played and parodied
numerous times by many different people
Capone image is used to depict the
stereotypical American Gangster: his style of
dress, mannerisms, accent, and physical
stature have all been copied to create this
image
Capone’s image has grown so large that he is
recognizable all over the world in many
different cultures
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Al Capone was the most feared criminal of his
time. He amassed so much power that he
became a celebrity and public enemy number
one. His presence will never be forgotten,
and his iconic image continues on in
American society, and around the world,
today.