Claim: Al Capone became increasingly famous.

Alphonse Gabriel Capone -LRB- -LSB- æl_kəˈpoʊn -RSB- January 17 , 1899 -- January 25 , 1947 -RRB- , sometimes known by the nickname Scarface , was an American gangster who attained fame during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit . His seven-year reign as crime boss ended when he was 33 years old .   Capone was born in Brooklyn in New York City to Italian immigrants . He was considered a Five Points Gang member who became a bouncer in organized crime premises such as brothels . In his early twenties , he moved to Chicago and became bodyguard and trusted factotum for Johnny Torrio , head of a criminal syndicate that illegally supplied alcohol -- the forerunner of the Outfit -- and that was politically protected through the Unione Siciliana . A conflict with the North Side Gang was instrumental in Capone 's rise and fall . Torrio went into retirement after North Side gunmen almost killed him , handing control to Capone . Capone expanded the bootlegging business through increasingly violent means , but his mutually profitable relationships with mayor William Hale Thompson and the city 's police meant that Capone seemed safe from law enforcement .   Capone apparently reveled in attention , such as the cheers from spectators when he appeared at ball games . He made donations to various charities and was viewed by many to be a `` modern-day Robin Hood '' . However , the Saint Valentine 's Day Massacre of gang rivals , resulting in the killing of seven men in broad daylight , damaged Chicago 's image -- as well as Capone 's -- leading influential citizens to demand governmental action and newspapers to dub him `` Public Enemy No. 1 '' .   The federal authorities became intent on jailing Capone , and they prosecuted him for tax evasion in 1931 , a federal crime and a novel strategy during the era . During the highly publicized case , the judge admitted as evidence Capone 's admissions of his income and unpaid taxes during prior -LRB- and ultimately abortive -RRB- negotiations to pay the government any back taxes he owed . Capone was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison . After conviction , he replaced his old defense team with experts in tax law , and his grounds for appeal were strengthened by a Supreme Court ruling , but his appeal ultimately failed .   He was already showing signs of syphilitic dementia early in his sentence , and he became increasingly debilitated before being released after eight years . On January 25 , 1947 , Capone died of cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke .