Page 15 - All About History - Issue 08-14

Crime

Aileen Carol Wuornos
Al Capone
AMERICAN 1899-1947 AMERICAN 1956-2002
Al ‘Scarface’ Capone was born in Brooklyn at the turn of the 20th century In 1989 and 1990 in Florida, USA,
and became one of the prohibition era’s most notorious gangsters. Wuornos killed seven men, all of
Recruited by mob boss Johnny Torrio, he moved to Chicago and began whom she claimed had either raped or
to work his way up the criminal organisation whose line of business attempted to rape her while she was
included alcohol, prostitution and gambling. Following Torrio’s serious working as a prostitute and that she had
injury in an assassination attempt Capone took charge and is believed been acting in self-defense. She was
to be behind the 1929 Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, where killed ultimately convicted and sentenced to
seven of his died. Found guilty of tax evasion and violating prohibition death for six of the murders and was
Al Capone profited greatly laws, Capone served seven years in a federal prison, including a spell in executed by the State of Florida by lethal
from the US government’s
decision to pass prohibition Alcatraz. He died in 1947 of a stroke and pneumonia. injection on 9 October 2002.

BERNARD MADOFF ANNE BONNY

AMERICAN 1938- IRISH 1702-1782
On 29 June 2009, Bernie Madoff’s fall Bonny’s family travelled to America when she was young and her mother died
soon afterwards. She was said to have had a fierce temper and aged 13 stabbed
from grace was complete. He pleaded
a servant girl with a table knife. She married small-time pirate James Bonny
guilty to defrauding investors out of
and they moved to Nassau, a sanctuary for English pirates. There she became
billions of dollars and was sentenced to 150 years
the mistress of Jack ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham, captain of the pirate sloop
in prison. Concerns about Madoff’s business had Revenge, and took to the seas with him. Bonney made no attempt to
surfaced as early as 1999, when financial analyst Harry disguise her gender and was a highly skilled pirate. She was
Markopolos informed the Securities and Exchange eventually captured but no record exists of her execution,
to them that the asset management unit of his firm was
leading some to speculate that her father ransomed her.
Commission that he thought Madoff’s gains were
impossible. Madoff was a generous contributor to
government campaigns and friendly with those in high
positions within the system supposed to be regulating
the finance sector, which some believe is a reason he
managed to continue trading for so long. It was not until
his sons told authorities that their father had confessed
“one big lie” that he was brought to justice.

Bonnie Parker’s life of crime
has been immortalised in
numerous books and films

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker
AMERICAN 1910-1934
With her partner Clyde Barrow and their gang, Parker terrorised
much of the Central United States during the great depression.
Their crimes captured the attention of the US public and they
were often depicted favourably in the press despite the violence
© Corbis; Getty; Look and Learn
of their crimes; the gang are held responsible for the murder
of nine police officers and several members of the public. The
pair were ambushed and killed on a rural road in Louisiana by
a posse of officers.

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