Al Capone During The Prohibition Era

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During the Prohibition Era, Al Capone’s operations in bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling dominated organized crime in Chicago. From 1925 through 1929, Capone was the leader of the criminal organization that became known as the Chicago Outfit and was responsible for many acts of violence and rivalries with other Chicago gangsters. His most popular act is the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14th, 1929. He was never indicted for his rivalries, but on October 18th, 1931, Capone was convicted of tax evasion and was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. Capone, also known as “Scarface,” was recognized as the leader of the Chicago Mafia during the Prohibition Era and went on to become the most infamous gangster in American History.…show more content…
In 1925, Capone went on to become the boss, after Torrio was wounded in an assassination attempt. After Capone became the boss, he found himself in charge of the bootlegging business in Chicago that arose from Prohibition. The citizens of Chicago were not in favor of Prohibition, and Capone benefited from it. From 1925 through 1929, Capone went on to become the most-visible mafia mobster in the country, and this not only made him a successful businessman, but it also made him a rival against other Chicago gangsters. In 1926, Capone ordered his men to gun down two of his enemies in Cicero. Hidden from Capone was that William McSwiggin was with his enemies, and all three of them were killed. The police did not have proof or evidence of the act, so they ransacked his businesses and gathered documentation that would later be used to charge him with income-tax evasion. Following that, Capone organized his “Peace Conference” with Chicago’s criminals and among them proceeded to agree to stop their acts of violence. This conference was not successful, as it only lasted about two months. This period impacted the organized crime in Chicago and escalated the rising rivalries Capone had with other gangsters, which led these rivalries…show more content…
Valentine’s Day Massacre was what brought him to the attention of the government. In the late 1920s, President Herbert Hoover pushed for his arrest and ordered the United States Treasury Department and Treasury Agent Eliot Ness to find a way to put him in jail. Consequently, The United States Treasury Department launched an investigation for income tax evasion and Special Agent Frank Wilson from the Intelligence Unit of the Internal Revenue Service put together a case for Capone to be accused of evasion of federal income tax. The federal government planned to collect evidence from his illegal prohibition violations in prostitution, bootlegging, and gambling business and to find proof of Capone not paying taxes even with his annual income. The confiscation of evidence, the shutting down of business and witnesses willing to testify against him, was what confirmed Capone’s sentence. After detailed investigations, the United States Treasury Department arrested Capone for evasion of federal income tax. Capone’s testimony did not match his previous ones, so he was found guilty. He was charged with 22 counts of tax evasion and 5,000 violations of the Volstead Act, which implemented and provided enforcement for the 18th Amendment that established the prohibition of alcohol. Capone was appalled. He was expecting to be able to bribe the jury and walk away free of his charges and did not expect for his reign as the
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