Born Ermino Capone April 12, 1904 in Brooklyn, New York. Brother of Al Capone. Eighth grade education. Married Mary Bogush in Miami in January, 1934. The Capone family relocated to Chicago, Illinois from Brooklyn in the early 1920s. Around this time, Ermino began going by “John,” a name he would use for the rest of his life.
Not much is known about John’s early criminal history but he was generally believed to be involved with Al’s beer and liquor business as well as gambling, receiving a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury in 1932. He was also known to be an occasional driver and chauffeur for Al. By at least the mid-1930s, John began using the alias of “Martin,” with either John or James as the first name, presumably to avoid the notoriety associated with the Capone name. After Al’s imprisonment and with the Capone family losing favor with the Outfit, John remained involved in the booze business with Joseph Fusco, who introduced him to a mutual friend, Jack Sable. Together, Sable and John started Finer Foods, Inc., although John left the business in 1939 as Sable believed John’s real identity (despite the alias) hurt the business.
John was employed on paper with the Snow Ice Company from at least 1944 to 1946, when it went out of business. Around the same time period, John was also employed with his brother Matthew by the Precision Metal and Machine Company. John was also alleged to have owned a Chicago night club, Trade Winds in the 1950s. Information also revealed that John had expressed an interest in real estate.
John’s rap sheet was relatively minor, considering his family’s reputation. He was arrested several times in his life, mostly for gambling, vagrancy or “general principles” (essentially police harassment), but the charges were typically dismissed or dropped. Two of John’s arrests in Miami were a part of a general harassment campaign by local law enforcement to keep the Capone family from settling in the area.
John was a frequent visitor to Al’s Miami Beach home, even moving in with Al for the last few years of his life. Ralph Capone, another brother, became “head” of the Capone family upon Al’s death in 1947.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, John visited Miami, Florida during the winter months but still maintained a permanent residence in Chicago at 5423 S Hyde Park Boulevard. When visiting Miami, John typically resided at the Bel Aire Hotel, under his “John Martin” alias. Ciro’s Restaurant and Night Club was rumored to be fronted by an unspecified Outfit member on behalf of John. Ciro’s was generally unsuccessful and closed in 1957. John was also rumored to have an interest in the Copa City Night Club in Miami but relinquished his share in the 1950s. John’s business ventures, whether in Chicago or Miami, were apparently not the most profitable.
In 1953, John was arrested in Beverly Hills, California, on an unfounded charge of suspected robbery but he was released fairly quickly and chargers were later dropped. At the time of the arrest, he was being visited by actor George Raft and Lou Cohen, agent for Jimmy Durante, a singer, pianist, and comedian. John had registered in the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel under the name of “John Martin.” Arrested with John was another Chicago resident, Joseph Laino, an employee of the city of Chicago and connected with Outfit member and alderman John D’Arco. Both claimed to be in Los Angeles on “business.”
Joseph Fischetti, Outfit figure and alleged first cousin to the Capones, was another Chicago native residing in Florida and was suspected to have gambling interests in the South Florida area with John during the 1940s and early 1950s. By the mid-50s, Fischetti (using the alias of “Fisher”) and Capone were apparently no longer involved in gambling in the area and spent much of their free time golfing. By 1957, Miami police were not aware of John being involved in illegal activity, although he still occasionally spotted with Outfit figures. One such figure was Anthony Ricci, who owned the Cocktail Lounge and Night Club in the Bel Aire Hotel where John resided. John had also spent time in Las Vegas with Murray Humphreys in 1953. John spent Christmas of 1957 in Mercer, Wisconsin with his brother Ralph and his family.
By the late-1950s, John was no longer visiting Miami and appeared to have no involvement with the Chicago Outfit beyond general acquaintances with individuals such as Humphreys, Ricci, and the Fischettis. It was rumored that the living expenses of John and his brothers were paid by the current Outfit organization, with the exception of Matthew, who was described as a “bum” and an alcoholic and ordered to stay away from Outfit hangouts. John was reported to have sold all financial interests in Miami prior to his visit with Ralph in 1957.
By the early 1960s, John and his wife were in difficult financial straits. John was described as having no role in organized crime, did not appear to be gainfully employed, and rarely left his Hyde Park Blvd residence. John still continued his association with certain Outfit figures and with his brother, Albert, even attended a 1961 party at the Plan-It Travel Bureau in honor of Paul Ricca, recently released from prison for tax evasion.
John continued to have trouble gaining employment throughout the 1960s, ostensibly because of his brother’s reputation, but eeked out a living as a rug and carpet salesman with a store in Skokie, Illinois. At one point, John was interviewed by the FBI and claimed no association with the Outfit in any way. In fact, John appeared to go out of his way to avoid contact with Outfit figures unless out of courtesy. John also denied having any familial relationship with the Fischettis and also claimed that his brothers Al (Umberto) and Ralph were also broke and not involved with the Outfit.
In 1964, John’s carpet business went belly-up and he resorted to selling the remaining inventory out of his home. John was so desperate for employment that he had even asked the FBI for any leads as far as gainful employment was concerned. His wife, Mary, had for several years sold handbags at a local department store and was the main income earner, especially once John was diagnosed with emphysema. The Capones status in the Chicago underworld had fallen so much that by the time of Matt’s death in 1967, there were not enough attendees at the funeral to act as pallbearers and newspaper photographers had to be recruited. Although John had been open to speaking to agents in the past, by 1970 he refused all calls.
Little is known about John from 1970 until his death in 1985, although it can be assumed that his financial situation did not improve. John almost presents a sympathetic picture. Although identified as a “member” of the Outfit, he appeared to play only a minor role in the organization, even at the height of his brother’s power. After his brother’s death, he changed his name and appeared to seek legitimate employment and to purposely distance himself from the criminal elements of the Outfit. Even when he became virtually penniless in the late-1960s, he refused to seek assistance from his former associates and only spoke with them when called on or in certain social situations. Some informants described him as having a friendly and congenial personality and did not associate him on the same level as his brothers. John seemed to simply be a victim of unfortunate circumstances and of being born with the wrong last name.
