American History Tellers St. Valentines Day Massacre: Closing In On Capone | 3
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Feb 18, 2026 Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer and historian, visits to unpack how authorities closed in on Al Capone. He explores uncertainty over Capone’s role in the massacre. He traces how public outrage changed federal priorities, the clever use of tax law, key investigative breakthroughs, and the legal maneuvers that brought a kingpin down.
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No Paper Trail, No Conviction
- Capone exploited cash-based operations and limited paperwork to avoid prosecution.
- The lack of invoices or bank records became the central obstacle for prosecutors.
Tax Law Created The Legal Hook
- A 1927 Supreme Court decision made illegal income taxable, creating a new legal avenue.
- U.S. Attorney George E.Q. Johnson chose tax evasion as the viable federal charge to pursue Capone.
Discovery In A Professor's Boxes
- Jonathan Eig found George Johnson's unarchived boxes full of case notes at a Nebraska professor's office.
- Those papers reveal how the government stretched and sometimes cut corners to secure a conviction.
