Barker/Karpis Gang
Alvin Francis “Creepy” Karpis, born as Karpowicz (1907-1979), was a notorious gangster of the 1930s. He committed many of his crimes with a gang of criminals, including several Barker brothers; “Doc” and Fred Barker were two of the most active members. Their mother Kate “Ma” Barker was also involved, though not as the criminal mastermind later media legend made her out to be. The Barker/Karpis gang was responsible for two of the era’s most notorious kidnappings—the abduction of William Hamm in 1933 and Edward Bremer, Jr., in 1934. This release consists of the extensive Bureau file on the Barker/Karpis gang. The bulk of it covers from 1933 to 1936, but it extends well into the 1970s because Karpis lived to late in the decade.
