This week (October 13-19) in crime history – Palestinian terrorists
hijacked a Lufthansa airliner (October 13, 1977); Amityville murder trial began
(October 14, 1975); Pierre Laval, the Vichy leader of Nazi-occupied France was
executed (October 15, 1945); Exotic dancer turned spy, Mata Hari was executed
(October 15, 1917); Mass shooting at Luby’s Cafeteria in Kileen, Texas (October
16, 1991); Ten high ranking Nazi officials were executed at Nuremberg (October
16, 1946); Al Capone was sentenced to prison for tax evasion (October 17,
1931); John Lennon and Yoko Ono were arrested for drug possession (October 18,
1968); John DeLorean was arrested for drug dealing (October 19, 1982).
Highlighted Crime of the Week -
On October 17, 1931, mob boss Al Capone was sentenced to
11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000, signaling the downfall of
one of the most notorious criminals of the 20th century. Alphonse
Gabriel Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1899 to Italian immigrants.
He was expelled from school at 14, joined a gang and earned his nickname
"Scarface" after being sliced across the cheek during a fight. By
1920, Capone had moved to Chicago, where he was soon helping to run crime boss
Johnny Torrio's illegal enterprises, which included alcohol-smuggling, gambling
and prostitution. Torrio retired in 1925 after an attempt on his life and
Capone, known for his cunning and brutality, was put in charge of the
organization.
Prohibition, which outlawed the brewing and distribution
of alcohol and lasted from 1920 to 1933, proved extremely lucrative for
bootleggers and gangsters like Capone, who raked in millions from his
underworld activities. Capone was at the top of the F.B.I.'s "Most
Wanted" list by 1930, but he avoided long stints in jail until 1931 by
bribing city officials, intimidating witnesses and maintaining various
hideouts. He became Chicago's crime kingpin by wiping out his competitors
through a series of gangland battles and slayings, including the infamous St.
Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929, when Capone's men gunned down seven rivals.
This event helped raise Capone's notoriety to a national level.
Among Capone's enemies was federal agent Elliot Ness, who
led a team of officers known as "The Untouchables" because they
couldn't be corrupted. Ness and his men routinely broke up Capone's bootlegging
businesses, but it was tax-evasion charges that finally stuck and landed Capone
in prison in 1931. Capone began serving his time at the U.S. Penitentiary in
Atlanta, but amid accusations that he was manipulating the system and receiving
cushy treatment, he was transferred to the maximum-security lockup at Alcatraz
Island, in California's San Francisco Bay. He was released in 1939 for good
behavior, after spending his final year in prison in a hospital, suffering from
syphilis. Plagued by health problems for the rest of his life, Capone died in
1947 at age 48 at his home in Palm Island, Florida.
Michael Thomas Barry is a columnist for www.crimemgazine.com and is the author
of numerous award winning books that includes Murder and Mayhem 52 Crimes that Shocked Early California, 1849-1949.
Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com
for more information. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the following
link:
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