What Happened to Bugs Moran After the St. Valentine's Day Massacre?
Mobsters DailyAfter the St. Valentine's Day Massacre on February 14, 1929, Bugs Moran never recovered: he kept a low profile in Chicago, drifted into small-time bank robbery in the 1930s and 1940s, and died of lung cancer in Leavenworth prison on February 25, 1957.
The day his empire died
Seven of Moran's men were lined up against a garage wall at 2122 North Clark Street and shot by gunmen posing as police, in a hit widely attributed to Al Capone's organisation. Moran himself arrived late, saw the 'raid', and stayed away — the decision that saved his life and ended his power in one morning.
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Decline, robbery and prison
Prohibition's end removed the beer money that had sustained the North Side Gang. Moran was later convicted of bank robberies in Ohio and sent to federal prison. His arc mirrors other fallen bosses in Capone at Alcatraz and Why the Mafia Fell: once the money and the army go, the legend goes with them.
Reports at his death put his remaining money at about $100. The man Capone could not kill in 1929 was finished instead by time, poverty and prison — a slower and more common mob ending than any garage wall.
Frequently asked questions
Did Bugs Moran survive the Massacre? Yes. He arrived late, saw men he thought were police, and did not enter the garage.
When did Bugs Moran die? February 25, 1957, in Leavenworth federal prison, of lung cancer.
Who ordered the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? It is widely attributed to Al Capone's organisation, though Capone was never charged.
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From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — the real-mafia history behind the bosses, hits and betrayals in this story.
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