Al Capone Mabel Walker Willebrandt recognized that mob figures publicly led lavish lifestyles yet never filed tax returns, and thus could be convicted of tax evasion without requiring hard evidence to get testimony about their other crimes. She tested this approach by prosecuting a South Carolina bootlegger. In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled in "United States v. Sullivan" that illegally earned income was subject to income tax; Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. rejected the argument that the Fifth Amendment protected criminals from reporting illegal income. The IRS special investigation unit chose Frank J. Wilson to investigate Capone, with the focus on his
The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults is an infamous two-hour live American television special that was broadcast one time only in syndication on April 21, 1986. Hosted by TV personality Geraldo Rivera, the special centered on the opening of a secret vault in the Lexington Hotel once owned by noted crime lord Al Capone, which turned out to be empty except for debris. "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults" is available in its entirety on Geraldo's website. Al Capone was born to Italian immigrant parents on January 17, 1899, in New York City. He