Tag: Al Capone

When the Capones paid the IRS with pennies…..

Pennies 2 website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now most of us just write a check when we pay our “fair” share, but the Capones once paid off Uncle Sam with millions of pennies. When the government hit up Al for fines and court costs related to his tax evasion conviction, his brother Ralph “Bottles” Capone picked up the tab. He arrived at the courthouse with two cargo vans loaded with bags full of pennies.

The Feds had no choice but to accept the legal tender and count 4,700,000 pennies, one Abe Lincoln at a time. I have a feeling that the government’s response would not be suitable for printing, but the Capones probably laughed all the way “from” the bank. I found this story in a book I highly recommend, Uncle Al Capone written by his grand-niece, Deirdre Marie Capone. You can read the entire book review on our website.

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Uncle Al Capone by Deirdre Marie Capone

capone bookI AM GOING TO MAKE HIM AN OFFER HE CAN’T REFUSE, LASAGNA AND A BILLY GOAT

Over the years I have read my fair share of biographies about Al Capone, most written by authors who had never met the man. Who would have thought that over sixty years after his death, we would be blessed with a first-hand account from Al’s grand-niece, Deirdre Marie Capone.

From a historical perspective this book includes several groundbreaking, jaw-dropping revelations. I have spent years wondering what ever happened to Al’s vast treasure after becoming incarcerated. After Al’s death, his wife, son and the rest of the Capone clan – while certainly comfortable – were not exactly living the lifestyle of the fabulously rich and infamous. Remember that the U.S. government believed that Al and the boys grossed 105 million dollars in one year alone. (Turns out my own theories on the matter were as wrong as Geraldo Rivera’s.) So what actually did happened to the families’ share? I do not want to steal all of the author’s thunder, so I feel honor-bound by the Outfit’s code of “omerta”to clam up. The answer is in the book!

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