This man can be called the most famous mafia in the world. Many are familiar with the Italian mafia in the film “The Godfather” and the book of the same name, but in real life Al Capone created the most real criminal empire, and for a long time was kept at the helm until finally he got what he deserved. The biography of this man had a huge impact on the image of the gangster as a whole.
The parents of the future gangster once emigrated to the United States from Italy. He had six brothers and two sisters. The name “Al” is short for the full version of Alfonse. He left school at the age of 14. He had to do this after attacking a teacher at school. Al Capone’s criminal career began with participation in a local gang as a bouncer – he guarded the gang-owned establishment. The film “Scarface” is based on its history. The gangster got his scar on his face during a knife fight with another gangster, whose wife he insulted. He married at the age of 19.
In order to launder money, Al Capone opened a network of canteens in Chicago, where homeless people and unemployed people were fed for free. It was he who invented such a type of crime as racketeering. When he was 26 years old, under his command there were more than a thousand gangsters, and monthly income exceeded 1.25 million dollars. And at the peak of his activities, the criminal empire brought him over $ 60 million annually. Personal Al-Cadillac Al Capone weighed 3.5 tons due to booking around. There were hidden loopholes at the door, and the rear window was folded back, allowing you to shoot at your pursuers. Subsequently, this car was confiscated, and a little later on it drove the US President Roosevelt.
The expression “launder money” appeared thanks to this gangster. In order to legalize income, he created a network of cheap laundries. From there, and this catch phrase. The struggle for the redistribution of spheres of influence in Chicago was a serious one. Banda Capone drove out all competitors, and during the “gang wars” in five years, more than five hundred people were killed. Officially, Al Capone owned a furniture business. He was so skillfully covering his tracks that he could not be arrested for many years without evidence. As a result, Al Capone was arrested not for his countless crimes, but for tax evasion. He was handed over by an undercover agent, embedded in a gang.
He loved to say that with a kind word and a pistol you can achieve more than just a kind word. After his arrest, he was sent to prison for 11 years. At first, he even received visitors and continued to manage his criminal empire, but soon, by order of the head of the FBI and the future president Hoover, he was transferred to the famous Alcatraz prison, where he began working as a janitor. As a result, he was released 4 years earlier than expected, but by that time he had lost his influence. The grave of the king of the criminal world is located in Chicago, under an unremarkable stone slab with his name. The life stories of Al Capone devoted 13 films.
