Alphonse Capone

Alphonse Gabriel Capone (1899–1947), known colloquially as Al Capone, was an American gangster who became the most prominent crime boss of the Prohibition era. Born in New York City, Capone moved to Chicago in 1919 where he rapidly ascended through the ranks of organized crime, eventually controlling the city's bootlegging operations. At the height of his power in the late 1920s, Capone's criminal enterprise generated enormous wealth through illegal alcohol distribution, gambling, and protection rackets, though he also maintained a public persona as a community benefactor. His organization was responsible for violent conflicts, most infamously the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Despite his notoriety, federal authorities struggled to prosecute Capone for his major crimes until 1931, when the IRS successfully convicted him of income tax evasion—a legal strategy that would become a template for prosecuting organized crime figures. Capone served nearly nine years in federal prison before his release in 1939, his health severely compromised by neurosyphilis. His story has become embedded in American popular culture, representing both the allure and ultimate downfall of organized crime.