Net Worth Ranker
What Is Al Capone’s Net Worth?
At the time of his death in January 1947, Al Capone, the infamous American gangster, had a net worth of approximately $7 million. Factoring in inflation, this sum is equivalent to roughly $100 million in today’s dollars. This net worth primarily stemmed from his extensive criminal empire built during the Prohibition era, which included bootlegging, gambling, and various other illicit ventures.
Al Capone’s Peak Income and Revenue Streams
During the height of his power, Al Capone’s criminal enterprise generated staggering revenues from various illegal activities. Specifically, his bootlegging operations, involving the illegal production and distribution of alcohol, raked in around $60 million annually. The gambling business, which encompassed illegal casinos, bookmaking, and other forms of wagering, brought in about $25 million per year. In addition to alcohol and gambling, Capone’s “vice” operations, encompassing prostitution and other morally questionable activities, contributed an additional $10 million annually. A further $10 million came from an assortment of various other ventures, the specific details of which are not well-documented but likely included extortion, protection rackets, and other forms of organized crime. In total, these ventures brought Al Capone a personal income of $105 million per year, equivalent to $2 billion today.
During the Prohibition era, Capone was able to generate immense wealth through his control of the illegal alcohol trade. His operations involved the smuggling, production, and distribution of alcoholic beverages, which were banned under the 18th Amendment. Capone’s organization used violence and intimidation to maintain its monopoly over the market, eliminating competitors and ensuring a steady flow of revenue. The exact volume of alcohol that Capone’s organization handled is difficult to quantify, but it is estimated to have been millions of gallons per year.
In addition to bootlegging, Capone’s gambling empire was another significant source of income. He controlled numerous illegal casinos and gambling dens throughout Chicago, offering a variety of games of chance to his patrons. These establishments catered to a wide range of customers, from wealthy businessmen to ordinary citizens, and generated substantial profits for Capone’s organization. The exact number of gambling establishments that Capone controlled is unknown, but it is believed to have been dozens, if not hundreds.
Capone’s “vice” operations, which included prostitution and other morally questionable activities, also contributed significantly to his wealth. He controlled numerous brothels and other establishments that catered to the illicit desires of his patrons. These operations were highly profitable but also carried significant risks, as they were subject to police raids and other forms of law enforcement intervention. The specific details of Capone’s vice operations are difficult to ascertain, but it is clear that they were a major source of income for his organization.
Al Capone’s Early Life and Career Beginnings
Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Teresa and Gabriele Capone, were Italian immigrants. Teresa worked as a seamstress, while Gabriele was a barber. The family lived at 95 Navy Street in Brooklyn, a densely populated neighborhood with a mix of immigrants and working-class families. Al was the fourth of nine children, with siblings including Vincenzo, Raffaele (later known as Ralph), Salvatore (later known as Frank), Ermina, Ermino, Albert, Matthew, and Mafalda. Sadly, Ermina died at the age of one.
Capone attended a Catholic school but was expelled at the age of 14 for striking a teacher. After his expulsion, Capone took on various odd jobs, including working at a bowling alley and a candy store. For a short time, he also played semi-professional baseball. His early involvement in petty crime led him to join the Junior Forty Thieves and the Bowery Boys, small-time New York gangs. Later, he joined the Brooklyn Rippers. These early experiences introduced him to the world of organized crime, setting the stage for his eventual rise to power.
Capone’s first significant step into organized crime came when he joined the Five Points Gang in Lower Manhattan, a more powerful and influential group. It was during this time that Johnny Torrio, a key figure in Capone’s career, hired him as a bouncer at the Harvard Inn saloon and dance hall. While working there, an incident occurred where Frank Galluccio slashed Capone’s face after Capone inadvertently insulted Galluccio’s sister, earning him the nickname “Scarface.” This event left a lasting physical mark and contributed to Capone’s intimidating persona.
In 1919, Johnny Torrio invited Capone to move to Chicago, where he began working as a bouncer in a brothel. It was reportedly during this time that Capone contracted syphilis, a disease that would later contribute to his declining health. Torrio was then working as an enforcer for James “Big Jim” Colosimo. After Colosimo was murdered in May 1920, Torrio took over his empire, making Al Capone his right-hand man. Although Capone was a suspect in Colosimo’s murder, his involvement was never definitively proven.
During the Prohibition era, Capone’s organization worked with Canadian bootleggers to smuggle liquor into the United States. However, when asked if he knew Canada’s “King of the Bootleggers,” Rocco Perri, Capone quipped, “Why, I don’t even know which street Canada is on.” This quote reflects Capone’s characteristic blend of arrogance and cunning.
After Torrio was shot in early 1925, he placed Capone in charge of his crime empire. When establishments refused to buy liquor from Capone, they were often blown up. Capone survived an assassination attempt by the North Side Gang in September 1926, and the following year, bootlegger/gangster Joe Aiello attempted to assassinate him several times. These violent incidents underscore the intense rivalries and dangers inherent in Capone’s criminal career.
In 1929, The New York Times reported that Capone was connected to the murders of Assistant State Attorney William H. McSwiggin, former mentor Frankie Yale, and chief investigator Ben Newmark. Although Capone was in Florida at the time of the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, it is widely believed that he ordered the attack, which was intended to eliminate North Side Gang leader Bugs Moran. Seven people were killed in the massacre, but Moran was not among them. This event brought unprecedented public scrutiny and increased pressure on law enforcement to take action against Capone.
Following the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, Capone attempted to improve his public image by donating to charitable organizations and opening a soup kitchen. However, these efforts were largely unsuccessful in countering the negative publicity generated by his violent activities. In 1930, after learning that Joe Aiello was still plotting his murder, Capone had two men gun Aiello down as he left a Chicago apartment building. This act further solidified Capone’s reputation as a ruthless and dangerous criminal.
Chicago Daily News publisher Walter A. Strong requested federal intervention to curb the city’s crime, and President Herbert Hoover directed that all federal agencies concentrate upon Mr. Capone and his allies. This marked a significant turning point in the government’s efforts to bring Capone to justice.
Al Capone’s Legal Troubles and Imprisonment
In May 1929, Al Capone was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in Philadelphia and sentenced to a year in prison. After being released in March 1930, the Chicago Crime Commission listed him as #1 on its list of “Public Enemies.” The FBI began investigating Capone for tax evasion, and he was arrested in March 1931.
Three months later, Capone was indicted on 22 counts of income tax evasion dating from 1925 to 1929. In October 1931, he was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and nearly $7,700 for court costs.
In May 1932, Capone was imprisoned in Atlanta, U.S. Penitentiary, where he was diagnosed with gonorrhea and syphilis. In August 1934, he was moved to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. In June 1936, he was stabbed by another inmate, but his wounds were superficial. Capone was diagnosed with syphilis of the brain in February 1938 and spent his final year at Alcatraz in the hospital section.
In January 1939, he was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution at Terminal Island to serve his contempt of court sentence. On November 16, 1939, Capone was released from prison due to his failing health.
Al Capone’s Personal Life, Decline, and Death
Al Capone married Mary Josephine Coughlin (better known as Mae) on December 30, 1918, and they remained married until his death. They had one son, Albert Francis “Sonny” Capone, born on December 4, 1918. Johnny Torrio, Capone’s mentor, was named the godfather. Sonny developed a mastoid infection in his left ear as a child, causing him to lose most of his hearing in that ear. He chose not to follow his father’s path into crime, working instead as a used car salesman, apprentice printer, and tire distributor. Sonny legally changed his name to Albert Francis Brown in 1966.
Capone reportedly had affairs during his marriage to Mae, who told Sonny, “Not to do what your father did. He broke my heart.”
After his release from prison, Capone’s health continued to decline. Although he was referred to Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital, they refused to admit him due to his reputation. Union Memorial Hospital agreed to treat his paresis, a neuropsychiatric disorder caused by late-stage syphilis. After a few weeks of treatment, Capone left for Palm Island, Florida, in March 1940.
In 1942, Capone was one of the first people in America to be treated with penicillin, which helped slow down the progression of paresis. In 1946, his doctor and a psychiatrist examined him and concluded that he had “the mentality of a 12-year-old child.”
Capone suffered a stroke on January 21, 1947. Although he initially improved after regaining consciousness, he contracted bronchopneumonia and then went into cardiac arrest on January 22nd. He passed away at his Palm Island home on January 25th after apoplexy caused his heart to fail.
A private funeral was held in Chicago, and he was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. In 1950, the remains of Al, his father, and his brother Salvatore were moved to Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.
Al Capone’s Real Estate Holdings
In 1928, Capone purchased a 6,077-square-foot mansion in the Palm Island area of Miami Beach for $40,000. This property, located on a 30,000-square-foot lot, served as his primary residence during the later years of his life after his release from federal prison.
After Capone’s death, his widow sold the home in 1952. In September 2021, the seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home was sold for $15.5 million. The mansion was briefly listed for sale in mid-2023 for $31 million. However, in August 2023, the mansion was demolished.
