THE ABC's OF AL CAPONE'S DOWNFALL

Al Capone’s Downfalll

Elliot Ness and his Untouchables have been the subject of
an Oscar-winning movie portraying them as the fearless
and incorruptible team that brought an end to Al Capone’s
reign of terror. However, while Ness and the Untouchables
certainly helped put pressure on Capone’s organization, the
real men behind his downfall were Bureau of Revenue
investigator Frank Wilson, prosecutor George E.Q. Johnson,
and Judge James Wilkerson.
After all, Capone was not jailed for murder or extortion, but
rather on the charge of tax evasion—an idea Wilson and his
team worked tirelessly on after discovering a confiscated
ledger from Capone’s gang. Wilson even got to meet
Capone once for an interview about his tax issues. At the
end of the interview, Capone asked “How’s your wife,
Wilson?” The subtle threat didn’t scare Wilson away from
his investigation, and he later later provided enough
evidence for Johnson to bring charges against Capone.
Johnson agreed to a two-and-a-half year plea bargain
sentence with Capone’s attorney. However, on the day he
was to be sentenced, Judge Wilkerson surprised everyone
by stating there would be no plea bargain.
Instead, he insisted on a trial. Capone subsequently tried
to bribe prospective jurors, but the judge pulled another
surprise by having the jury switched just before the trial
was to begin. The final nail in Al Capone’s coffin was nailed
by Judge Wilkerson himself, who imposed a sentence of 11
years, the longest term ever for tax evasion