Al Capone

===Feud with Aiello===
In November 1925, Capone's ''[[consigliere]]'', [[Antonio Lombardo]], was named head of the [[Unione Siciliana]], a Sicilian-American benevolent society that had been corrupted by gangsters. An infuriated [[Joe Aiello]], who had wanted the position himself, believed Capone was responsible for Lombardo's ascension and resented the non-Sicilian's attempts to manipulate affairs within the Unione.<ref name="Keefe216">{{Harvnb|Keefe|2005|p=216}}.</ref> Aiello severed all personal and business ties with Lombardo and entered into a feud with Capone.<ref name="Keefe216" />{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=135}}

Aiello allied himself with several other Capone enemies, including [[Jack Zuta]], who ran vice and gambling houses together.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=136}}<ref name="CT01051928">{{Cite news |title=Gang Bullets Again Riddle the Aiello Brothers Bakery |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=January 5, 1928 |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1928/01/05/page/3/article/gang-bullets-again-riddle-the-aiello-brothers-bakery |location=[[Chicago]] |page=3 |access-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216053744/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1928/01/05/page/3/article/gang-bullets-again-riddle-the-aiello-brothers-bakery/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Aiello plotted to eliminate both Lombardo and Capone, and starting in the spring of 1927 made several attempts to assassinate Capone.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=135}} On one occasion, Aiello offered money to the chef of [[Joe Esposito (mobster)|Joseph "Diamond Joe" Esposito]]'s Bella Napoli Café, Capone's favorite restaurant, to put [[prussic acid]] in Capone's and Lombardo's soup; reports indicated he offered between $10,000 and $35,000.<ref name="Keefe216" /><ref name="Sifakis5">{{cite book |last=Sifakis |first=Carl |date=2005 |title=The Mafia Encyclopedia |location=New York |publisher=Checkmark Books |edition=3rd |isbn=0816056951 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mafiaencyclopedi00sifa_0 |page=5}}.</ref> Instead, the chef exposed the plot to Capone,{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=135}}<ref name="Lyle111260">{{Cite news |last=Lyle |first=John H. |title=Chicago in the Capone Era: a City in Chains |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 12, 1960 |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1960/11/12/page/11/article/chicago-in-the-capone-era-a-city-in-chains |location=[[Chicago]] |page=11 |access-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216055847/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1960/11/12/page/11/article/chicago-in-the-capone-era-a-city-in-chains/ |url-status=live }}</ref> who responded by dispatching men to destroy Aiello's bakery on West Division Street with machine-gun fire.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=135}} More than 200 bullets were fired into the bakery on May 28, 1927, wounding Joe's brother Antonio.<ref name="Keefe216" />

During the summer and autumn of 1927, a number of hitmen Aiello hired to kill Capone were themselves slain. Among them were Anthony Russo and Vincent Spicuzza, each of whom had been offered $25,000 by Aiello to kill Capone and Lombardo.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=135}} Aiello eventually offered a $50,000 [[bounty (reward)|bounty]] to anyone who eliminated Capone.<ref name="Sifakis5" />{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=135}} At least ten gunmen tried to collect on the bounty but ended up dead.<ref name="Keefe216" /> Capone's ally Ralph Sheldon attempted to kill both Capone and Lombardo for Aiello's reward, but Capone henchman [[Frank Nitti]]'s intelligence network learned of the transaction and had Sheldon shot in front of a [[West Side, Chicago|West Side]] hotel, although he survived the incident.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=136}}

In November 1927, Aiello organized machine-gun ambushes across from Lombardo's home and a cigar store frequented by Capone, but those plans were foiled after an anonymous tip led police to raid several addresses and arrest [[Milwaukee]] gunman Angelo La Mantio and four other Aiello gunmen. After the police discovered receipts for the apartments in La Mantio's pockets, he confessed that Aiello had hired him to kill Capone and Lombardo, leading the police to arrest Aiello himself and bring him to the South Clark Street police station.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=136}}<ref name="Keefe217">{{Harvnb|Keefe|2005|p=217}}.</ref> Upon learning of the arrest, Capone dispatched nearly two dozen gunmen to stand guard outside the station and await Aiello's release.{{sfn|Eghigian|2005|p=136}}<ref name="Sifakis77">{{Harvnb|Sifakis|2005|p=77}}.</ref> The men made no attempt to conceal their purpose there, and reporters and photographers rushed to the scene to observe Aiello's expected murder.<ref name="Lyle111260" />  When released, Aiello was given a police escort out of the station to safety. He later failed to make a court appearance after his attorney claimed he suffered a nervous breakdown. Aiello disappeared with some family members to [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]], NJ, from whence he continued his campaign against Capone and Lombardo.