Turf Wars
Wherever there is something illegal that makes a lot of money, there are almost always violent fights over control of said activity. The illegal alcohol business in Chicago was no exception. Chicago became known for the violent crime wars and murders between rival mobs. The largest rivalry from the Prohibition Era was between the infamous Alphonse Gabriel Capone and George "Bugs" Moran. What made this rivalry even more bitter, was not only the war for the profits of the illegal liquor businesses, they and their organizations also had different ethnic backgrounds: Capone was the Italian mafia, and Moran's was an Irish gang.
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"bugs" Moran & The st. Valentine's day massacre
The incident that caught the attention of the nation and caused national law enforcement to take notice, occurred on Valentine's Day, 1929. At this time, Capone sent his henchmen dressed as Chicago police officers to one of Moran's secret fortifications to "deliver" something. This did not seem out of the ordinary to Moran's men, since the police officers often came there for payoffs and bribes. When the "police" told Moran's men to line up, face to the wall, Moran's men did so without question. They thought this was just another "shakedown." Capone's men proceeded to massacre Moran's men with Thomas Sub-Machine guns- a favorite weapon of the mafia. Seven of Moran's men were killed, and the ordeal is now known as "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre." Ironically, Moran wasn't there at the time, and he wasn't killed, however, Moran realized how insane and ruthless Capone was, and he backed off and buried the rivalry. This act of extreme violence signalled the beginning of federal law enforcement's determination of ending Capone's reign of terror.
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Al Capone - Eliot Ness & The untouchables
Eliot Ness attended the University of Chicago when he was eighteen, and graduated top of his class in 1925. In 1927, he began work with the US treasury department as an agent. By 1928, Ness was transferred to the justice department to clean up bootlegging, the illegal sale of alcohol. The Chicago police were corrupt, and the Federal Justice department wanted Capone stopped, so they had Ness put together a group of federal justice agents. Ness’ group of eleven people were young so they could work long hours, single so they couldn’t have a family and wife to be threatened with, and incorruptible. The task force was known as the "Untouchables." They destroyed many of Capone’s breweries, and made life difficult for his organization, but could not find enough evidence to link Capone specifically with any major crimes, since his henchmen did most of it. Instead, the Untouchables took a different approach. They found proof of his organization's profits and realized that he paid no taxes on them. In 1931, Capone was convicted and sent for tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
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Alcatraz
Capone began his prison sentence in a federal prison in Atlanta, Georgia, but was later transferred to a new prison that was designed for the worst of the worst criminals: Alcatraz. Capone was an excellent candidate for the new prison because he had been bribing guards, had been given special treatment, and was continuing to operate his mafia from his previous prison. He later died due to heart complications but had many illnesses prior to his death, and never served his complete sentence.
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