By Steve Neavling
Former President Trump continues to falsely claim in speeches that he has been indicted more than the notorious Chicago mob boss Al Capone.
During presidential election campaign stops this fall, Trump is pushing a narrative that he’s been indicted three times more than Capone.
“And by the way, I’ve been indicted more times than Alphonse Capone,” Trump said in a speech in Iowa on Saturday. “He’s the most vicious of all gangsters. If he took you to dinner and if you didn’t look proper, if you laughed a little bit, he might think you’re laughing at him, it’s dangerous to laugh – he’d kill you immediately. He was indicted one time. I was indicted four times.”
In a speech in October in Florida, Trump said, “If you looked at him wrong, he’d kill you, and he’d kill you with his hands. He was a tough guy. He got indicted one time. I got indicted four times.”
Surprise, surprise: Trump is pushing a false narrative.
Capone was actually indicted six times, A. Brad Schwartz, the co-author of a book on Capone, told CNN.
In 1931 alone, when Capone was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison, the gangster was indicted three times.
In 1929, Capone was indicted and convicted for carrying concealed weapons in Philadelphia. He was also indicted for lesser-known offenses in 1926 (for conspiracy to violate Prohibition laws) and in 1931 (for racketeering).
Capone was also charged in other cases that didn’t involve indictments in the 1920s. They include operating brothels and gambling establishments in 1921 and assault with a vehicle and other charges in 1922. He was also charged with federal contempt of court in 1929.
“This isn’t a race, of course, but it may be worth noting that Capone is also way ahead in individual counts (the 1931 Prohibition indictment alone added up to five thousand conspiracy charges),” Schwartz, who wrote “Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago.” :
Trump has been charged with a total of 91 counts, which includes two federal indictments and two local indictments.
