Eliot Ness: The Untouchable Against Capone

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The federal government became involved in the case, and a man by the name of Eliot Ness pioneered the way. Unable to be bribed like an ordinary official, Ness secured “indictments against Capone and sixty-eight confederates, citing 5,000 offences,” although alcohol was not involved in any of them (Cyriax, “The Untouchables”). During his time investigating Capone, it was documented that Capone was so frustrated by his inability to bribe the man that Capone raged and shouted that he would kill Ness himself, however, the mob boss was unable to accomplish this, and the prideful man was reduced to a sitting duck, as his sales declined and he could feel the Feds coming closer and closer (Cyriax, “The Untouchables”). Finally, after using the one …show more content…

This practice has drawn many criticisms, but it is “widely, albeit not universally, understood to be both legally and ethically permissible” (Richman & Stuntz). It seems that Capone’s notoriety and care in his practice gave the government no option but to convict him of comparatively small crimes, such as tax evasion, due to the fact that they were never able to pin him with evidence to murders and bootlegging, even though they “and voters already knew who Capone was and what he did” (Richman & Schultz). This practice, although it may have angered Capone at the time, saved him from a life sentence, and instead got him about a decade, and is arguably his final victory over the …show more content…

The main thing ailing Capone at this time was the contraction of neurosyphilis, but it can also be argued that prison affected his mental state by taking away all the power and privilege he had garnered on the streets (“Al Capone,” History.com). In his final time, he relocated to his mansion in Miami, where he lived with his wife until he died of a heart attack in 1947 (“Al Capone,”

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