9 Real Mafia Wives Who Supported Their Ruthless Gangster Husbands

Mafia wives like Mae Capone and Victoria Gotti supported their mobster husbands for decades—and sometimes even indulged in a criminal lifestyle.

They say that behind every great man is an even greater woman, but it seems the same can also apply to men in less pleasant sectors of the business world. Before mafia wives were trending on TikTok, the term referred to more than just an “aesthetic.” These were the women who found themselves romantically involved with some of history’s most notorious gangsters—and not all of them are innocent.

Modern historians have focused heavily on the Mafia. After all, the men involved in the organization were criminals, but also some of the most influential figures in 20th century America. Their lives continue to fascinate people to this day, but the stories of their wives are just as interesting.

Read on to check out our list of nine mafia wives who were married to some of America’s most notorious gangsters.

Mae Capone, wife of Al ‘Scarface’ Capone

Bettmann/Getty ImagesMae Capone visits her husband in prison.

Al Capone probably needs no introduction. During the early 20th century in Chicago, Capone was at the top of his game. Public enemy number one for federal agents, he made a name for himself largely through Prohibition and his ability to get booze to the American people.

And his wife Mae was by his side the whole time.

Mae Capone was seen by many as more than just Al Capone’s wife. They called her his “protector.” The two met while working in a box factory, although Al was already involved in some shady dealings. He was 18 at the time and she was a few years older, but the two hit it off quickly and Al even managed to impress Mae’s parents.

Others, however, were less impressed. Mae Coughlin, as she was then known, was an educated Irish Catholic woman. Marrying a less educated, younger man was seen by many as “marrying down,” but she clearly disagreed. The two had their first and only child together before they were even married, and were finally married in 1918.

But despite Mae’s devotion to her husband, he was far less devoted to her. Al Capone eventually contracted syphilis from a prostitute—and some historians have suggested that passing the disease on to his wife may have been the reason they never had more children. Mae Capone knew what her husband did for a living, but it was his infidelity that hurt her the most. She reportedly once told her son, “Don’t do what your father did. He broke my heart.”

Mae Capone, always the perfect mob wife, never left her husband’s side. Even when syphilis reduced his mental capacity to that of a 12-year-old, she remained by his side. In his later years, caring for him became something of a full-time job for his wife, ending only when he died in 1947.

Mae Capone lived to be 89, but according to her granddaughters, she was never the same after Al died: “It’s like the house died when he died. Even though she lived to be 89… something died inside her when he died.”