AL CAPONE
Al Capone was a notorious gangster in American history. He
was the leader of an organized crime gang in Chicago in the 1920s
during the Prohibition era.
After dropping out of school, he became involved in the local
street gangs. One time he got in a fight and got a cut on his face. After
that he was known by the nickname "Scarface."
Capone moved to Chicago to work for a gang, which made most of their money from selling bootlegged
liquor. The boss was killed by a rival gang and Al Capone took over.
Capone became very rich selling illegal liquor, offering "protection" services, and running gambling
houses. Capone was known for being ruthless. Despite his growing reputation as a crime boss, he managed
to stay out of jail by bribing the police and politicians. He used his vast wealth to gain popularity with the
people. It was Al Capone that opened the first soup kitchen for the homeless in Chicago.
On February 14, 1929, Capone ordered a hit on a rival gang. They gunned down and killed seven men.
The event was called the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
Capone spent a short time in jail, but the government couldn't gather enough evidence to put him away.
A Prohibition agent named Eliot Ness decided to go after Capone's operations. He worked with loyal and
honest agents that later earned the nickname the "Untouchables" because they couldn't be bribed by Capone.
Capone tried to have Ness assassinated several times, but failed. In the end, Ness didn't catch Capone for his
organized crime activities.
VOCABULARY
a gambling house (N) = a casino
ruthless ( ADJ): impitoyable, sans pitié
bribe (V): soudoyer