Syndicate, Mafia, Cartel, Organization, Cosa Nostra... These names are strongly associated with the name of the famous gangster Al Capone. However, he was far from the founder of a powerful criminal empire. For decades, remaining virtually invisible to both the Mafia itself and government agents, Capone's patron and teacher, a quiet prophet of Vice named Johnny "JT" Torrio, pulled the strings. He spread his network so widely that only half a century after his death Washington dared to remove the classification of secrecy from the materials of the federal investigation into his case. Murder, extortion, control over prostitution, gambling and illegal liquor trade, buying up corrupt politicians and police officials wholesale and retail - these and other aspects of the dark biography of a man whom the FBI called “the smartest of all criminals” will be revealed on the pages of this book.