LAS VEGAS — It was on a school playground where she learned her last name carried weight, when another girl pointed a finger at her and ordered the other kids to follow her. “Let’s go,” the girl said. “That’s a Capone.
” This photo taken Dec. 23, 2024, in Las Vegas shows a Colt .45-caliber pistol that once belonged to mob boss Al Capone.
Diane Capone Pette is the granddaughter of Al Capone, one of the most infamous mobsters in American history who was nicknamed “Scarface” for a slash he got in a fight. His legacy in the public eye is marked by violence, prison time and crime. His reign starting in the 1920s over the Chicago Outfit has inspired dozens of shows and movies, including the 1983 film “Scarface” starring Al Pacino.
At home, Pette said Capone led a very different life. “He was not one-dimensional. He was a man of many facets,” Pette said.
“He seemed to have the capacity to be quite ruthless and aggressive,” and on the other hand, she said, “this was also a man who was incredibly loving and loyal to family and friends.” Diane Capone holds a copy of a photograph of her father, Albert "Sonny" Capone as a young boy and her grandfather Al Capone on display at Witherell's Auction House on Aug. 25, 2021, in Sacramento, Calif.
A rare glimpse into that part of Capone’s life is on display for the public in a new exhibit, “The First Public Enemy,” at the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas. For the first time, the public can get an up-close l.
