Crime And Criminals Blog - Crimes, criminals, scams and frauds.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The True Story Of The Untouchables.

Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.

Part I









The Untouchables, led by Eliot Ness, were a group of eleven law-enforcement agents, legendary for being fearless and incorruptible, who sought to enforce Prohibition and stop Al Capone's illegal activities.

After the election of President Herbert Hoover, Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon was specifically charged with bringing down Alphonse Capone. The federal government approached the problem by attacking Capone's organization on two fronts. The first front was mounted by criminal investigators of the Treasury's Bureau of Internal Revenue, who would examine the financial records of Capone and his subordinates to see if they could be prosecuted for tax evasion. This unit of IRS agents was headed by Frank J. Wilson under the close supervision of Elmer Irey.

The second front would consist of a special unit of the Bureau of Prohibition, then a branch of the Department of Justice, who would attack Capone's beer and liquor empire by raiding speakeasies, stills, and, particularly, breweries. Ness was chosen to head this elite squad.

Raids against stills and breweries began immediately; within six months, Ness claimed to have seized breweries worth over one million dollars. An extensive wire-tapping operation was the main source of information for the raids.

An attempt by Capone to bribe Ness's agents was seized on by Ness for publicity, leading to the media nickname "The Untouchables."

With the conclusion of the Capone case, "The Untouchables" were disbanded and Ness, in recognition of his work, was promoted to Chief Investigator of the Prohibition Bureau for Chicago.

Mr. Capone: The Real - and complete - story of Al Capone

Son of Scarface: A Memoir by the Grandson of Al Capone

St. Valentine's Day Massacre: The Untold Story of the Gangland Bloodbath That Brought Down Al Capone