Al Capone – Wacked On Tax Evasion Charges
If ever there was a larger than life mobster, it was Al Capone. For years, the feds tried to get him on criminal charges. In the end, it was tax evasion that put the mobster behind bars.
Alphonso Capone was born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. At roughly the age of 20, he relocated to Chicago, a move that would go down in infamy. He quickly become ingrained in Chicago criminal enterprises and moved up the ladder of the Colosimo mob family.
In five short years, Capone became the head of the family in Chicago at the age of 26. His staggering rise to the top was littered with violence and criminal activity. Once he took up the position, he proved to have a flair for it. Through intimidation, corruption and violence, he was soon considered the de facto ruling power in the city.
Capone made money in the typical mobster way, but he was a man of the times. When prohibition started, Capone saw an opportunity. He worked to keep Chicago plenty wet, and the movie “The Untouchables” is at least loosely based on the events.
The police and feds were able to pop Capone on small charges every so often. He was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and did a year in jail. He was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to another six months. Until the tax evasion charges came up, however, he was more or less free to do what he wished.
As you might imagine, a mobster earns his money through ill gotten gains. The mobster is hardly going to declare these on a tax return. In the case of Capone, this was his down fall. The feds were able to show he had not paid taxes on at least $100,000 or so in earnings. He was convicted and sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay a host of money in court costs and fines
The Capone tax evasion approach worked so well that it has become a common tactic when pursuing alleged criminals. Whereas witnesses can be intimidated, bank records really can’t. This has even led to a common strategy in law enforcement known as “follow the money”, an approach that has worked time and again.