No. 06 - Al Capone Born in 1899, the infamous Capone ruled Chicago's underworld in the roaring 1920s. He is a legendary figure in the history of mobs and gangsters. A renaissance man, Capone dabbled in bootleg liquor, gambling and prostitution, among other businesses. Though no proof confirms it, Capone is widely believed to have been responsible for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of the Bugs Moran Gang in 1929, which led to the death of seven men. The FBI began their investigation into Capone in March 1929, when he ignored a federal grand jury subpoena. Capone's attorneys were able to successfully argue that he was ill and unable to attend the hearing. As a result it was postponed; however in the interim FBI agents were able to confirm that Capone was not ill and had been traveling throughout Florida. As a result of the ruse, agents arrested Capone and he was charged with contempt of court, to which he was sentenced to six months in jail. While Capone sat behind bars, the U.S. Treasury Department began to assemble a tax evasion case against him. Capone initially pled guilty; however he later changed his plea to not guilty. Nevertheless, Capone was convicted after trial and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. He served portions of his sentence at a U.S. penitentiary in Atlanta and at Alcatraz. On Nov. 16, 1939, Al Capone was finally released from prison. All totaled, he had served seven years, six months and 15 days behind bars. Upon his release, he retired to Florida, where he spent the rest of his days until his death in 1947. More Crime Countdowns
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