Julian Crowley
The best known of America’s mobsters was at the forefront of the birth of modern money laundering schemes. It is estimated that he laundered $1 billion through various businesses. His first businesses were in fact laundromats, which, being cash operated, were very helpful in hiding and disguising illegal gains. The fact that Capone made use of the laundry trade is frequently given as the origin for the phrase “laundering” — however this is still subject to debate. Capone was eventually indicted in 1931 for a different financial crime: tax evasion.
