Al Capone Case Summary

Background

Al Capone was given a son at the age of 19 just weeks before marrying his wife Mae Coughlin. Al Capone wanted to provide for his family in an honest way so he quit his gang lifestyle and began bookkeeping for a construction company. In 1920, Al Capone’s father died from a heart attack. It was around this time Johnny Torrio had invited Capone to work for him in Chicago. Torrio was formerly in the business of gambling and prostitution but had switched to bootlegging after the selling of alcohol had been banned. Torrio saw bootlegging as an opportunity to bring in more income. Al Capone, having a background as a thug and bookkeeper along with his street smarts, was quickly promoted to Torrio’s partner after joining Torrio’s business.

In 1923, Torrio and Capone’s business were threatened when a new mayor was elected in Chicago. Chicago’s new mayor planned to rid the city of its crime and corruption. Knowing that Cicero had not yet elected its new mayor, Capone and Torrio moved their business to Cicero. Although a new mayor was not yet elected, Capone and Torrio’s business were still being

President Herbert Hoover used Capone’s crimes of income tax evasion to convict him to prison so Hoover had the federal authorities raise their efforts to capture Capone on these charges. It was not until June 5th, 1931 that Capone was finally convicted on the charge of twenty-two accounts of income tax evasion. Capone thought that if he pled guilty he would get a shorter sentence but that did not happen. With the failure of his plan, Capone then bribed the jury which also did not work. The judge saw what Capone tried to do so he summoned a new jury at the last possible second. Capone was then convicted to prison for eleven years. Capone spent the first two years in Atlanta Federal prison before being sent to Alcatraz for trying to bride one of the guard who oversaw him at the