Background
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Born in the borough of Brooklyn in New York on January 17, 1899
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He was born to Italian immigrants that came to the US in 1893.
 His parents, Gabriele Capone and Teresina Raiola, were immigrants from Italy. His father
was a barber and his mother was a seamstress
 Alphonse Gabriel Capone was the one of nine kids. His family included seven boys and two
girls. He was the fourth boy born in the family.

Capone showed promise as a student, but had trouble with the rules at his strict Catholic
school.
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He dropped out of school at the age of 14, after being expelled for hitting a female
teacher in the face.
He worked at odd jobs around Brooklyn, including a candy store and a bowling alley.
 Capone was influenced by gangster Johnny Torrio, whom he came to regard as a mentor
when he worked at these odd jobs.
 A few years later, Torrino recommended him to another friend, Frankie Yale. The role with
Yale was Capone's first role in an organized crime ring. Capone played bartender and
bouncer at Yale's bar, the Harvard Inn on Coney Island. While working at the bar, Capone
got into a fight which left the infamous scars on his face.
Crimes accused of committing

The interesting thing about the biography of Al Capone is that he was charged for
many different crimes. However, he was only convicted and sentenced to jail on a
few minor violations.
 Some of his convictions were mysteriously dropped, showing the overall power
of Capone and the people he associated with.
 He was believed to have killed multiple people, but he was never convicted due
to the people he was involved with.

Capone did serve some jail time before the ultimate crime that brought him down.
He was caught in Pennsylvania with a concealed weapon in 1929. He was sentenced
and served one year in jail.
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On June 16, 1931, Al Capone pled guilty to tax evasion and prohibition charges


Tax Evasion- An illegal practice where a person, organization or corporation intentionally avoids paying
his/her/its true tax liability. Those caught evading taxes are generally subject to criminal charges and
substantial penalties.

Prohibition Charges- charges involving the selling or consumption of alcohol.
On October 18, 1931, Capone was convicted after trial and on November 24, was
sentenced to eleven years in federal prison, fined $50,000 and charged $7,692 for
court costs, in addition to $215,000 plus interest due on back taxes
Evidence that proved Capone to be guilty
 Capone made the task difficult by not maintaining a bank account and never
signing any checks or receipts.

An extravagant life style could be evidence of substantial unreported income, so
investigators examined department store, jewelry store, car dealership, and hotel records
for evidence of Capone’s expenditures.
 They uncovered purchases of high-end furniture, custom-made shirts,
diamond-studded belt buckles, gold-plated dinner service, hotel suites, and a
Lincoln limousine.
 Building on ledger evidence, Wilson collected sworn testimony from persons
whose participation in a citizen's raid on a Cicero gambling hall had left them
convinced beyond any doubt that Capone was the proprietor of the place.
 Ledger- principal book or computer file for recording and totaling monetary transactions by
account, with debits and credits in separate columns and a beginning balance and ending
balance for each account.
Sentencing
 On October 17 the jury returned a mixed verdict, finding Capone guilty of
five counts of tax evasion and failing to file tax returns
 The judge sentenced him to 11 years imprisonment, at the time the longest tax evasion
sentence ever given, along with heavy fines, and liens were filed against his various
properties
 n May 1932, Capone was sent to Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary, but he was able
to obtain special privileges.
 He was transferred to Alcatraz on August 11, 1934
Quotes
Scarface
 Capone received his infamous facial scars and the resulting nickname
"Scarface" when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her
brother.
 Since then the famous movie Scarface has been based off of
Capone’s actions.
Sociological Theory of Deviance
The sociological theory that best explains Al Capone’s criminal behavior and
deviance is the differential-association theory. This is the case because criminal
behavior in this theory is learned in interaction with others. Capone wasn’t
introduced to criminal behavior until after he was expelled from school and Johnny
Torrio, who was a well known gangster. When he was introduced to this new
environment, it opened Capone up to new experiences and criminal techniques and
the motives, drives, and attitudes. Torrio had greater influence over Capone’s values
which strongly supported his criminal activity.
In this theory, Capone’s activities were started due to the presence of Johnny
Torrio. Before Capone was introduced to the gang leader, he exceled in school and
remained a normal citizen. Only after he was affiliated with the leader was he
notorious for his criminal activity. The way Capone was associated with Torrio
influenced him to continue acting the way he was brought up to when he was under
Torrio’s wing. The definition of the differential-association theory related to people’s
behavior and how it is largely determined by the company they keep. In Al Capone’s
case, he was influenced by his gangster mentor, Johnny Torrio, leading him to all his
criminal activity years later.