{"id":2173,"date":"2025-02-10T15:54:23","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T20:54:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/?p=2173"},"modified":"2025-02-13T04:44:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T09:44:20","slug":"a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago","title":{"rendered":"A Brooklyn Native Who Gained Notoriety in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the &#8220;Roaring Twenties,&#8221; Al Capone ruled over a vast criminal empire in the Windy City\u2014a domain built on gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, bribery, drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, and murder. This impressive resume was fitting for Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more about the legendary gangster, Brooklyn-born Alphonse Gabriel &#8220;Al&#8221; Capone, at <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/\">brooklynski.info<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, the nickname &#8220;Windy City&#8221; has nothing to do with the breezes from Lake Michigan. Instead, it refers to Chicago\u2019s ever-changing political climate. Whether Capone contributed to this reputation is hard to say, but one fact is undeniable: local law enforcement struggled for years to bring serious charges against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, federal authorities were eager to step in, but they needed a federal crime to pursue. Luck eventually runs out for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69ff4675c56b7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69ff4675c56b7\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago\/#Childhood_and_Early_Years\" >Childhood and Early Years<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago\/#How_Capone_Became_%E2%80%9CScarface%E2%80%9D\" >How Capone Became &#8220;Scarface&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago\/#Capones_First_Murder\" >Capone\u2019s First Murder<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago\/#The_Rise_of_a_Crime_Boss\" >The Rise of a Crime Boss<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago\/#The_King_of_Chicagos_Underworld\" >The King of Chicago\u2019s Underworld<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/eternal-2173-a-brooklyn-native-who-gained-notoriety-in-chicago\/#Capones_Arrest_and_Conviction\" >Capone\u2019s Arrest and Conviction<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Childhood_and_Early_Years\"><\/span>Childhood and Early Years<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1550\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-4.jpg 1550w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-4-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-4-768x793.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-4-1488x1536.jpg 1488w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-4-696x718.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1550px) 100vw, 1550px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Capone was born into an immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York, in January 1899. He often claimed that both he and his parents were born in America, though this was far from the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His parents immigrated from Naples to the United States in 1893. Al, the fourth of nine children, grew up in Brooklyn. He attended a local school until the sixth grade but dropped out at 14 years old after getting into an argument and hitting a teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After leaving school, Capone worked a series of odd jobs\u2014as a clerk in a candy store, a pin boy in a bowling alley, a munitions factory worker, and a bookbinder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, he joined two Brooklyn street gangs\u2014South Brooklyn Rippers and Forty Thieves Juniors. These teenage gangs were notorious for vandalism and petty crime, which was not unusual in New York at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One well-known story recounts how eight-year-old Capone led his gang to punish a group of Irish boys who had been harassing Italian women in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He strapped a washbasin to his chest like a drum and beat on it while his gang provoked their rivals into a street fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite his early involvement in crime, some say Capone was a diligent student until his infamous dispute with the teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Capone_Became_%E2%80%9CScarface%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>How Capone Became &#8220;Scarface&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1102\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-3.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-3-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-3-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-3-1536x1058.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-3-696x479.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Capone earned his infamous nickname, &#8220;Scarface,&#8221; while working as a bouncer at a Brooklyn nightclub owned by a mobster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One night in 1917, local gangster Frank Galluccio arrived at the club with his sister. Capone made a crude remark about her appearance, reportedly saying she had a &#8220;nice backside.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Realizing his mistake, Capone tried to apologize, but it was too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Galluccio, enraged, pulled out a knife and slashed Capone\u2019s face three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the rest of his life, Capone tried to hide the scars and fabricated stories about how he got them, often claiming they were from combat in World War I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Capones_First_Murder\"><\/span>Capone\u2019s First Murder<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"885\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-3.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-3-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-3-768x425.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-3-1536x850.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-3-696x385.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By the time Al Capone turned 21, he had already committed at least one known murder. He shot and killed a gambler over a dispute when the man took Capone\u2019s winnings after a game of craps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being interrogated by the police, Capone was released due to a lack of witnesses. In another case, he brutally attacked and killed a low-ranking member of a rival gang, known as the &#8220;White Hand&#8221; gang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fearing retaliation, Capone fled Brooklyn with his wife and child and relocated to Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Rise_of_a_Crime_Boss\"><\/span>The Rise of a Crime Boss<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklynski.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-2-696x928.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Moving to Chicago in the 1920s marked the beginning of Capone\u2019s reign. He joined Johnny Torrio\u2019s gang and quickly rose through the ranks. The Prohibition era created a lucrative market for illegal alcohol sales, making bootlegging a highly profitable industry for organized crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Torrio, encouraged by Capone, seized this golden opportunity and aggressively expanded operations in bootlegging, speakeasies, and illicit breweries. Capone also focused on controlling the local government through bribery and corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1925, Torrio was severely wounded in an assassination attempt. He retired and moved back to Brooklyn, leaving Capone in charge. Having gained experience and built a fearsome reputation, Capone eliminated his rivals and took control of Chicago\u2019s underworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The suburb of Cicero effectively became his personal stronghold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_King_of_Chicagos_Underworld\"><\/span>The King of Chicago\u2019s Underworld<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1927, Capone\u2019s empire was worth an estimated $100 million. He ruthlessly eliminated competitors, culminating in the infamous St. Valentine\u2019s Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, seven of Capone\u2019s men gunned down rival gang leader Bugs Moran\u2019s crew in a garage on Chicago\u2019s North Side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That same year, Capone was arrested outside a Philadelphia theater for carrying a concealed firearm. Within days, he was sentenced to one year in prison. Threats from other inmates led authorities to transfer him to Eastern State Penitentiary, where he served eight months before being released for good behavior in 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Capones_Arrest_and_Conviction\"><\/span>Capone\u2019s Arrest and Conviction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The FBI began investigating Capone in 1929 when he failed to appear before a federal grand jury. His lawyers claimed he was ill, but the FBI discovered he had actually been attending horse races in Miami. Capone was summoned to federal court in Chicago, but as soon as he left the courtroom, he was arrested again for contempt of court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He posted $5,000 bail and was released. However, another arrest followed, resulting in a six-month jail sentence at Cook County Jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department built a case against him for tax evasion. On June 16, 1931, Al Capone pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. In 1939, after serving seven years, six months, and fifteen days, Capone was released after paying his fines and back taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By then, he suffered from paresis, a condition caused by syphilis. In 1946, a psychiatrist examined Capone and concluded that he had the mental capacity of a 12-year-old child. He died a year later, in 1947.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the &#8220;Roaring Twenties,&#8221; Al Capone ruled over a vast criminal empire in the Windy City\u2014a domain built on gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, bribery, drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, and murder. This impressive resume was fitting for Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States. Read more about the legendary gangster, Brooklyn-born Alphonse Gabriel &#8220;Al&#8221; Capone, at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":2186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[1405,1403,1397,1393,1406,1400,1398,1399,1391,1395,1402,1396,1392,1407,1394],"motype":[196],"moformat":[74],"moimportance":[30,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-2173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-success-stories","8":"tag-1920s-bootlegging","9":"tag-al-capone-brooklyn","10":"tag-al-capone-prison-years","11":"tag-al-capone-rise-to-power","12":"tag-al-capone-tax-evasion","13":"tag-brooklyn-crime-history","14":"tag-chicago-gangsters-1920s","15":"tag-chicago-mafia-history","16":"tag-cicero-crime-empire","17":"tag-eastern-state-penitentiary","18":"tag-fbi-vs-al-capone","19":"tag-johnny-torrio-chicago","20":"tag-prohibition-era-crime","21":"tag-scarface-gangster-biography","22":"tag-st-valentines-day-massacre","23":"motype-eternal","24":"moformat-copywriting","25":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","26":"moimportance-reklamna-stattya"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2189,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions\/2189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklynski.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}