Top 10 Infamous Inmates at Alcatraz

Alcatraz was known for being a tough and inescapable prison. And Henri Young was even tougher. So tough, in fact, that Alcatraz couldn’t contain him. Young was sent to Alcatraz in the 1930s after committing homicide. He and four others attempted to escape on January 13, 1939, and one of the escapees died in the attempt. Everybody else was captured, and Young spent the next three years in solitary confinement. Just eleven days after leaving solitary, Young killed his accomplice, Rufus McCain. Alcatraz was investigated not only for the escape, but also for Young’s treatment in isolation and the subsequent killing. He was eventually transferred, and when he was released in 1972, Young completely disappeared. His eventual fate is unknown.

#9: Mickey Cohen

Also in:

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mickey Mouse

Having appeared in countless pieces of pop culture, including “L.A. Noire” and “Bugsy,” Mickey Cohen is easily one of the most famous gangsters in American history. Known by some as The King of Los Angeles, Cohen was eventually nailed for tax evasion and sent to Alcatraz in July of 1961. However, he didn’t spend long inside the prison. He became the first and only person to be bailed out, which occurred just three months later in October. He returned to the prison in May of 1962, but it finally closed for good less than one year later. Cohen was sent to Atlanta and lived another thirteen years before dying in 1976 at the age of 62.

#8: Roy Gardner

Also in:

Top 10 Most Infamous Undercover Operations

A famous bank robber that traversed the American West, Roy Gardner is believed to have stolen more than $350,000 throughout the 1920s. For context, this is the equivalent of about $5 million today. Gardner was also an infamous prison escapee and became known as The King of the Escape Artists. Gardner was eventually captured during a train robbery and arrived at Alcatraz in 1934. He reportedly planned an escape with another inmate named Ralph Roe, but he was released in 1938 before the plan could be executed. Gardner subsequently wrote a popular autobiography called “Hellcatraz” and actually worked on a tour boat that visited the prison. On January 10, 1940, Gardner took his own life inside a hotel by inhaling poisonous fumes.

#7: Frank Bolt

Also in:

More World Cup Controversies! Young Indiana Jones? Jason David Frank Remembered. Disney's Pivot!

It’s amazing how much has changed since the 1930s. Frank Bolt was a soldier in the United States Army when he was caught in an intimate situation with another man. This resulted in Bolt serving time in a military prison before being transferred to the newly-established Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. In fact, the prison was so new that Bolt became its first official inmate in 1934. Bolt’s admission papers were signed by none other than the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. A very controversial man with a spotty reputation, Hoover wanted to show the country that homosexuality would not be tolerated.

Born in New York in 1917, Morton Sobell worked as an electrical engineer during World War II. During his time with General Electric, Sobell fed information to the Soviets and acted as a mole on their behalf. J. Edgar Hoover called his espionage the “crime of the century,” and Sobell was convicted in 1951 and sentenced to thirty years in prison. He was sent to Alcatraz, which is where he spent the next twelve years of his life. When Alcatraz closed in 1963, Sobell was transferred to Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. He was eventually released from prison in 1969 and almost lived another fifty years. He died in 2018 at the age of 101.

#5: Machine Gun Kelly

Also in:

What If There Was a Time Machine on Earth? | Unveiled

Real name George Barnes, this bootlegger, thief, and kidnapper earned the moniker Machine Gun Kelly thanks to his signature use of a Thompson submachine gun. In July of 1933, Kelly kidnapped an oil tycoon named Charles F. Urschel and received a $200,000 ransom. This is a little under $5 million today. Kelly was caught the following September, and this became the first major case that was solved by the FBI. Kelly was sent to Alcatraz and wasn’t taken seriously by the other inmates. Not only was he a model and obedient prisoner, but his outlandish stories were comically exaggerated. Kelly left Alcatraz in 1951 and was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, which is where he died on his 59th birthday.

You may have heard the term “Public Enemy #1.” Well, Alvin Karpis was just one of four criminals to have been given the official title by the FBI, alongside John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson. Karpis was the leader of the Barker–Karpis Gang, a Depression Era outfit that took part in robberies and kidnappings. Karpis was the only Public Enemy #1 to have been taken alive, which occurred on May 2, 1936. J. Edgar Hoover personally saw to the arrest, and because no one had handcuffs, his wrists were bound with an agent’s tie. Karpis was inside Alcatraz for most of its existence and has the distinction of being its longest-serving prisoner.

One of the most famous crime bosses in American history, Whitey Bulger found himself on the FBI’s Most Wanted list and was charged with a slew of crimes, including racketeering and nineteen counts of homicide. But all this occurred after his time in Alcatraz. Back in the ‘50s, Bulger was a street criminal who found himself caught up in hijackings and robberies. In 1956, Bulger was sent to United States Penitentiary, Atlanta and was subjected to MKUltra experiments in exchange for a reduced sentence. Bulger was transferred to Alcatraz following his horrible time at Atlanta, and he spent three years inside the famous prison. He later spoke fondly of his time at Alcatraz. We guess so. It would be a vacation after MKUltra.

#2: The Birdman of Alcatraz

Also in:

10 Infamous Assassinations That STILL Haven't Been Solved

Robert Stroud, the so-called “Birdman of Alcatraz” is actually the subject of a popular misconception. Stroud spent most of his life behind bars, having been imprisoned at 19 and dying in the system at 73. After killing a few people (including a prison guard), Stroud was sent to Leavenworth, and it was here that he discovered a love of birds. In fact, he later became a revered ornithologist, and his first book, “Diseases of Canaries,” was smuggled out of prison. Stroud was eventually transferred to Alcatraz in December of 1942 and stayed there until 1959. Yet despite his famous moniker as “The Birdman of Alcatraz,” Stroud was never allowed to keep birds at Alcatraz, and he focused his attention there on law. Before we unveil our top pick, here are some dishonorable mentions. Doc Barker Ruthless Member of the Notorious Barker-Karpis Gang Bumpy Johnson This Harlem Crime Boss Was Arrested Over 40 Times Clarence Anglin, John Anglin & Frank Morris Escaped in 1962 & Were Never Caught!

#1: Al Capone

Also in:

10 Infamous Drug Lord Killings

The gangster who needs no introduction, Al Capone ruled Chicago with an iron fist until he was imprisoned at 33. Despite the numerous crimes that Capone was involved in, he was finally pegged for tax evasion in 1931 and spent the last of his healthy years behind bars. Capone was transferred to Alcatraz in 1934, and his time here was marked by difficulties. Capone was stabbed by another inmate in 1936, and less than two years later, he was officially diagnosed with neurosyphilis. His mental faculties rapidly deteriorated, and he was released from the prison system in 1939. Despite being one of the first American patients treated with penicillin, Capone’s health further deteriorated and he died at 48 in 1947.