James Vincenzo Capone James Vincenzo Capone Richard James Hart (born Vincenzo Capone in Angri, Italy; March 28, 1892 – October 1, 1952) was the oldest brother of infamous Chicago gangster, Al Capone. Capone left home at age 16 and moved from Brooklyn to Nebraska, ostensibly to join a circus. He worked to lose his Brooklyn accent and tried to disguise his Italian ancestry as well. He enlisted in the United States Army in World War I, served in France, and earned a commission as a lieutenant. After the war, Capone legally changed his name to Richard James Hart, partly in honor of his
Al Capone becoming a protector for Capone. The conspicuous protection of Rudensky and other prisoners drew accusations from less friendly inmates, and fueled suspicion that Capone was receiving special treatment. No solid evidence ever emerged, but it formed part of the rationale for moving Capone to the recently opened Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary off the coast of San Francisco. On June 23, 1936, Capone was stabbed and superficially wounded by James C. Lucas. At Alcatraz, Capone's decline became increasingly evident as neurosyphilis progressively eroded his mental faculties. He spent the last year of his sentence in the prison hospital, confused and disoriented. Capone