Some revisionist historians and apologists for "the Big Fella" claim that Al Capone got a raw deal when he was sentenced for income tax evasion.

There is no doubt that he was targeted. President Hoover even pressed his people to get Capone.

But what strikes me is how Capone seemed to be oblivious to his potential tax problems. His own brother, Ralph "Bottles" Capone, and his right hand man, Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, both served prison terms for tax evasion BEFORE the Feds got around to prosecuting Big Al. The only difference in their cases was that their sentences were much shorter than eleven year stretch given to Scarface.

Frank Nitti, who had been released from prison in time to succeed Capone as the leader of the Chicago Syndicate, supposedly suffered from extreme claustrophobia. In 1943, while facing charges that were likely to result in another Federal prison term, Nitti committed suicide.

I wrote about "Undercover Man" for Noir City some time ago. The crooked mob lawyer turned informant (played by Barry Kelley) was based on Edward O'Hare. He wound up being gunned down by the mobsters years afterwards. His son was an aviation hero during WWII and Chicago's primary airport is named for Edward "Butch" O'Hare.