Untold Story: Al Capone's Son, Albert Francis "Sonny" Capone

Did the son of one of the most notorious gangsters in American history manage to carve his own path, separate from the bloody legacy of his father? Albert Francis "Sonny" Capone's life was a constant struggle to escape the shadow of Al Capone, a battle fought with name changes, quiet living, and a conscious effort to distance himself from the criminal underworld.

Born on December 4, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois, Albert Francis Capone, later known as Albert Francis Brown, entered the world as the son of Alphonse Gabriel Capone, the infamous "Scarface." His early life was inevitably intertwined with the violence, crime, and power that defined his father's reign. While most accounts identify Mae Josephine Coughlin as Sonny's mother, some sources, including Al Capone's grandniece Deirdre Marie Capone in her book "Uncle Al Capone," suggest that Mae was not his biological mother. The identity of his biological mother remains largely unknown or unpublicized, with a tragic story attached to her name: she allegedly passed away giving birth to Albert Francis "Sonny" Capone after contracting syphilis from Al Capone. This detail, if true, adds another layer of complexity to the already fraught narrative of his birth and parentage. Albert was also called Sonny, because Al gave him that nickname.