Frank J. Wilson
Encyclopedia
Frank J. Wilson was the Chief of the United States Secret Service
and a former agent of the Treasury Department's Bureau of Internal Revenue, later known as the Internal Revenue Service
, most notably in the 1931 prosecution of Chicago mobster Al Capone
and federal representative in the Lindbergh kidnapping
case.
Wilson would earn a reputation throughout Prohibition
as a thorough, if not obsessive, investigator of tax returns and income.
In 1928, Wilson was assigned by the chief of the Enforcement Branch of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Elmer L. Irey, to investigate mobster Al Capone
in a later federal prosecution for tax evasion
. Although earlier investigations regarding racketeering charges had been successfully defended by Capone, Irey believed Capone could be prosecuted under a 1927 ruling by the Supreme Court
which declared that any income from criminal activities must be subjected to income taxes.
However, as Capone did not file tax returns, own property, endorse checks, maintain bank accounts or give receipts, his income could not be accounted for. As calculating Capone's net worth and expenditures were crucial to federal prosecutors, Wilson arranged to have Capone's organization, known as the "Chicago Outfit
," to be infiltrated by federal agents to gather information on Capone's dealings in bootlegging, illegal gambling, and other vices.
Wilson himself moved into Chicago's Sheridan Plaza Hotel with his wife under the guise of a tourist. Wilson's wife was uninformed of the details of his assignment; instead she had been told that Wilson was investigating the finances of one "Curly Brown." Wilson would spend the next three years gathering information on Capone's financial dealings including tracking down mob accountants and bookkeepers.
Becoming aware of Wilson's investigation, a nervous Capone ordered five gunmen to murder Wilson. Federal authorities were informed of the contract and, after urgings from former mentor Johnny Torrio
, Capone reluctantly canceled the hit. As a result of Wilson's investigation, which revealed millions of dollars in unreported income, Capone was eventually sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment.
s," would later be commonly used to prosecute criminals.
In 1936, Wilson was named chief of the Secret Service and, resisting attempts by J. Edgar Hoover
to transfer the Secret Service to the Justice Department under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
during the early 1940s, he had nearly eliminated the production and distribution of counterfeit money through a nationwide education program by the end of his retirement in 1947. During his administration, he also initiated practices in presidential security which have since become standard procedure.
An article he wrote, Undercover Man: He Trapped Capone, was the basis for the 1949 film The Undercover Man
.
He later died at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC on June 22, 1970, at the age of 83.
In the Brian De Palma
1987 film The Untouchables
, the character Oscar Wallace (played by Charles Martin Smith
) is loosely based upon Wilson.
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
and a former agent of the Treasury Department's Bureau of Internal Revenue, later known as the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, most notably in the 1931 prosecution of Chicago mobster Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
and federal representative in the Lindbergh kidnapping
Lindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
case.
Capone investigation
Upon joining the United States Treasury Department's Intelligence Unit in 1920, the former accountantAccountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
Wilson would earn a reputation throughout Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
as a thorough, if not obsessive, investigator of tax returns and income.
In 1928, Wilson was assigned by the chief of the Enforcement Branch of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Elmer L. Irey, to investigate mobster Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
in a later federal prosecution for tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
. Although earlier investigations regarding racketeering charges had been successfully defended by Capone, Irey believed Capone could be prosecuted under a 1927 ruling by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
which declared that any income from criminal activities must be subjected to income taxes.
However, as Capone did not file tax returns, own property, endorse checks, maintain bank accounts or give receipts, his income could not be accounted for. As calculating Capone's net worth and expenditures were crucial to federal prosecutors, Wilson arranged to have Capone's organization, known as the "Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
," to be infiltrated by federal agents to gather information on Capone's dealings in bootlegging, illegal gambling, and other vices.
Wilson himself moved into Chicago's Sheridan Plaza Hotel with his wife under the guise of a tourist. Wilson's wife was uninformed of the details of his assignment; instead she had been told that Wilson was investigating the finances of one "Curly Brown." Wilson would spend the next three years gathering information on Capone's financial dealings including tracking down mob accountants and bookkeepers.
Becoming aware of Wilson's investigation, a nervous Capone ordered five gunmen to murder Wilson. Federal authorities were informed of the contract and, after urgings from former mentor Johnny Torrio
Johnny Torrio
John "Papa Johnny" Torrio , also known as "The Fox", was an Italian-American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s that was later inherited by his protege, Al Capone...
, Capone reluctantly canceled the hit. As a result of Wilson's investigation, which revealed millions of dollars in unreported income, Capone was eventually sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment.
Later career
During the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping in 1932, Wilson's insistence that the serial numbers on the gold certificates in ransom money be recorded would lead to the 1934 arrest of Bruno Richard Hauptmann who was later convicted and executed for the kidnapping. [source needed] The method of recording serial numbers, and later "marked billMarked bill
Marking bills is a technique used by police to trace and identify money used in illegal activities. The serial numbers of the bills are recorded, and sometimes markings are made on the bank notes themselves ....
s," would later be commonly used to prosecute criminals.
In 1936, Wilson was named chief of the Secret Service and, resisting attempts by J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
to transfer the Secret Service to the Justice Department under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
during the early 1940s, he had nearly eliminated the production and distribution of counterfeit money through a nationwide education program by the end of his retirement in 1947. During his administration, he also initiated practices in presidential security which have since become standard procedure.
An article he wrote, Undercover Man: He Trapped Capone, was the basis for the 1949 film The Undercover Man
The Undercover Man
The Undercover Man is a crime drama film noir starring Glenn Ford. This one of a number of noirs directed by Joseph H. Lewis, who went on to helm Gun Crazy and The Big Combo. The drama features Glenn Ford, Nina Foch, James Whitmore, among others.-Plot:Frank Warren is a treasury agent assigned to...
.
He later died at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC on June 22, 1970, at the age of 83.
In the Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
1987 film The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1987 film)
The Untouchables is a 1987 American crime-drama film directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Mamet. Based on the book The Untouchables, the film stars Kevin Costner as government agent Eliot Ness. It also stars Robert De Niro as gang leader Al Capone and Sean Connery as Irish-American...
, the character Oscar Wallace (played by Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer, and director.-Early life:Smith was born in Van Nuys, California. His father, Frank Smith, was a film cartoonist and animator, while his uncle Paul J. Smith was an animator as well as a director for the Walter Lantz Studios...
) is loosely based upon Wilson.
Further reading
- Melanson, Philip H. and Peter F. Stevens. The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-7867-1251-1
- Roth, Mitchel P. Historical Dictionary of Law Enforcement. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30560-9
- Spiering, Frank. The Man Who Got Capone. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1976.
- Wilson, Farnk J. and Beth Day. Secret Agent: Twenty-Five Years with the US Treasury Department and the Secret Serivice. London: Frederick Muller, 1966.
External links
- Frank Wilson papers at the University of WyomingUniversity of WyomingThe University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
- American Heritage CenterAmerican Heritage CenterThe American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West and a select handful of national topics: environment and conservation, the mining and petroleum industries,...