Catching a Criminal Mastermind
Al Capone was a criminal mastermind. However, eventually his fame caught up with him and he was arrested for tax evasion. This section will go over how exactly Al Capone was caught, why the officials can't prove anything, and why Al Capone got arrested for such a minor crime compared to the others he, almost definitely, committed.
Pretextual Prosecutions- How they caught Al Capone
Al Capone got arrested for what is known as a pretextual prosecution. Basically, it's when authorities get so fed up with a criminal that they arrest him (or her) for something relatively minor. Everyone already knew how bad Al Capone was, but no one could prove it. So instead, they made an excuse to arrest him. Giving the maximum sentence at that time possible for tax evasion, Al Capone was sentinced to 10 years in jail. (Source in MLA format: K. Balachandrudu. “Understanding Political Corruption.” The Indian Journal of Political Science. Indian Political Science Association, 2006. 809-816. JSTOR. Web. 12. Jan. 2014.)
Why was it so hard to catch Al Capone?
Al Capone has done time behind bars previously. Once for concealing a weapon, he served 9 months in jail. He was also charged for failure to appear in court for questioning (Valentine Massacre).
However, it was very hard to find evidence against Al Capone. First of all, people who were directly related to Al Capone refused to testify against him as a witness. This is partially because they were scared of his power, as Al Capone was both respected and feared. In addition, he bribed many people and they became loyal to him. In 1927, Al Capone spent an estimated 30 million on bribes. (Gumbel, The History of Dirty Elections and Democracy.)
Also, Al Capone primarily dealt in cash (he never had a bank account in his name), making it very hard to trace his illegal activity. Others did the dirty work for him, and he was not even in the state at the time of the Valentine Massacre. Instead, he was lounging in his Florida Beach House. (Clark, Why was Tax Evasion the only thing Pinned on Al Capone?)
Overall, Al Capone was very careful in covering his tracks. His power, influence, and money kept people from testifying against him. These two reasons made it almost impossible to catch Al Capone, even though he is renown as one of the greatest criminals of all time.
However, it was very hard to find evidence against Al Capone. First of all, people who were directly related to Al Capone refused to testify against him as a witness. This is partially because they were scared of his power, as Al Capone was both respected and feared. In addition, he bribed many people and they became loyal to him. In 1927, Al Capone spent an estimated 30 million on bribes. (Gumbel, The History of Dirty Elections and Democracy.)
Also, Al Capone primarily dealt in cash (he never had a bank account in his name), making it very hard to trace his illegal activity. Others did the dirty work for him, and he was not even in the state at the time of the Valentine Massacre. Instead, he was lounging in his Florida Beach House. (Clark, Why was Tax Evasion the only thing Pinned on Al Capone?)
Overall, Al Capone was very careful in covering his tracks. His power, influence, and money kept people from testifying against him. These two reasons made it almost impossible to catch Al Capone, even though he is renown as one of the greatest criminals of all time.
Tax Evasion?
By eventually convincing several witnesses to testify against Al Capone, and finding a single check at a casino signed by Al Capone, the jury decided that there was enough evidence to sentence him to eleven years behind bars. (Clark, Why was Tax Evasion the only thing Pinned on Al Capone?)
Al Capone started his sentence in 1931, but after good behavior and work credits, was released in 1939. He spent the last year in jail in a hospital bed because he contracted a disease known as Syphilis. He eventually dies in 1947 because of cardiac arrest. (History.com, Capone Goes to Prison)
Al Capone started his sentence in 1931, but after good behavior and work credits, was released in 1939. He spent the last year in jail in a hospital bed because he contracted a disease known as Syphilis. He eventually dies in 1947 because of cardiac arrest. (History.com, Capone Goes to Prison)
Image on top: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--KGUhLAAIeY/UwiNSsPoQ_I/AAAAAAAAeC0/wwUwl4089C8/s1600/Al+Capone+from+the+1920s+and+30s+(6).jpg
(History.com, Capone Goes to Prison)
Clark, Josh. "Why was tax evasion the only thing pinned on Al Capone?" 05 May 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/capone-tax-evasion.htm> 07 March 2014.
Gumbel, Andrew. "Steal this vote: The history of dirty elections and democracy." Nation Books. 2005. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ap2FeNIXqbEC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=%22william+mcswiggan%22+1926&source=web&ots=Fv702iB
(History.com, Capone Goes to Prison)
Clark, Josh. "Why was tax evasion the only thing pinned on Al Capone?" 05 May 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/capone-tax-evasion.htm> 07 March 2014.
Gumbel, Andrew. "Steal this vote: The history of dirty elections and democracy." Nation Books. 2005. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ap2FeNIXqbEC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=%22william+mcswiggan%22+1926&source=web&ots=Fv702iB
