The True Story Of Scarface

Capone’s Downfall

Eliot Ness has widely been credited with taking down Capone, but the truth is slightly less interesting. Ness was a Prohibition agent who raided establishments that were connected to the mobster’s bootlegging business in Chicago. The press called Ness and his fellow agents the “Untouchables” because they refused to take bribes from those involved in the underworld. Ness was partially responsible for helping to indict Capone for violating Prohibition, however, the government decided to prosecute the gangster on tax evasion. Capone was convicted in 1931 and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. He was fined $50,000 and held liable for $215,000 plus interest on back taxes.