* Severity of the offense: Selling a few bottles to friends carried a lighter sentence than running a major smuggling operation.
* Location: Laws and enforcement differed from state to state.
* Judge's discretion: Individual judges had varying levels of leniency or strictness.
Common punishments included:
* Fines: These ranged from a few dollars to thousands.
* Jail time: Sentences could be as short as a few days or as long as several years.
* Confiscation of property: Cars, equipment, and even homes used in bootlegging operations could be seized.
Other possibilities:
* Probation: This was sometimes granted, especially for minor offenses.
* Community service: In some cases, bootleggers might be ordered to perform public work.
Famous Examples:
* Al Capone: While he was never convicted for bootlegging directly, he was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for tax evasion related to his bootlegging activities.
* George Remus: Known as the "King of the Bootleggers," he was sentenced to two years in prison for selling illegal liquor.
Important Note: While bootlegging was a major crime during Prohibition, it was also a widespread practice. Many people, including some law enforcement officials, were involved in the illegal liquor trade. This made it difficult to effectively enforce the law and led to the widespread corruption and organized crime that characterized the era.