He came into contact with crime at an early age. At the age of 14 he dropped out of school and joined a gang, with which he moved to Chicago in 1920. At the same time, he developed ties with another gang, and with his help, the two groups worked together, mainly in beer smuggling, pimping and illegal betting. Five years later, and following the bounty on the head of the gang, Capone took over the reins. His name became synonymous with terror for his rivals and by the end of the decade he was on the list of the most wanted criminals.
He was targeted by the authorities on 14 February 1929 when his men, disguised as policemen, wiped out a rival gang. At the time, he was in Florida and all the charges against him could not be proved in court. The FBI reviewed the case and he agreed to cooperate. However, he avoided appearing in court, citing health reasons. The trial was delayed for several months and when Capone finally appeared, it had already been proven that he was not ill, but was misbehaving. He was arrested for contempt of court and released on $5,000 bail.
In May of that year, he was arrested again for carrying a firearm illegally. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released nine months later on good behavior.
Meanwhile, the IRS began looking into his finances. In 1932 he was charged with tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined $50,000. He was sent to Atlanta Prison after his appeal was denied, and two years later he was transferred to Alcatraz. In his mid-30s, he began to experience symptoms of dementia, most likely due to the syphilis he had contracted as a young man. For a few years he was hospitalized in the prison hospital and was finally released on November 16, 1939.
Because of his poor health, he never returned to Chicago, at least in a Mafia capacity. In 1946 his doctors announced that Al Capone's intelligence did not exceed that of a twelve-year-old child. He settled in his home in Florida, close to his very close relatives, and until his death on January 25, 1947, he never appeared in public again.
Source.gr
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
