Elmer Lincoln Irey
Encyclopedia
Elmer Lincoln Irey was a United States Treasury Department official and director of the Internal Revenue Service
's lead investigative unit during the federal tax evasion prosecution of Chicago mobster Al Capone
.
Appointed Chief of the Treasury Department's Internal Revenue Service Enforcement Branch in 1919, Irey would form one of the most successful investigative teams in the history of American law enforcement with agent Frank J. Wilson
leading the hundred-man unit of "T-men" in a three year investigation against Capone's criminal organization the "Chicago Outfit
". Despite attempted jury tampering and death threats against Wilson, Irey's investigation succeeded in the conviction of Capone for tax evasion in 1931.
During the Lindbergh kidnapping
, Irey supported Wilson in his request to have the serial numbers recorded of the ransom money delivered to the kidnappers and would lead to the arrest of one of the suspects Bruno Richard Hauptmann in 1934. Irey's "T-men" unit would continue to prosecute over 15,000 people for tax evasion (with a 90% conviction rate), including Louisiana Gov. Huey Long
and Chicago businessman Moses Annenberg
, over the course of 27 years.
Named chief coordinator of all the Treasury Department's law enforcement agencies in 1937, Irey would oversee the operations of the U.S. Secret Service
, the IRS Intelligence Unit, U.S. Customs
, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Alcohol Tax Unit (predecessor to ATF
), and the U.S. Coast Guard
, until his retirement in 1941.
He wrote his autobiography, "Tax Dodgers" in 1949. He relates stories of how President Franklin D. Roosevelt
(FDR) used the IRS to attack his political enemies. One was Andrew Mellon, who was Secretary of the Treasury during previous Republican administrations. Mellon was found innocent of all charges.
Irey related the personal interest and direct intervention of FDR in the investigation of Long, another of his political enemies who was considering running for President against Roosevelt in 1936. Several of Long's cronies were convicted, but Long was murdered in 1935 before FDR had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute.
Another memoir of the IRS being used as a political weapon was written by Elmer Lynn Williams, which described the attack on William Malone, a Republican who ran for governor of Illinois.
One of the episodes of the long running radio series "The FBI In Peace And War" featured Mr.Irey commenting on a story called "The Traveling Man" based on a real FBI and Secret Service case in 1952.
is named Elmer, in his honour.
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...
's lead investigative unit during the federal tax evasion 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...
.
Appointed Chief of the Treasury Department's Internal Revenue Service Enforcement Branch in 1919, Irey would form one of the most successful investigative teams in the history of American law enforcement with agent Frank J. Wilson
Frank J. Wilson
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...
leading the hundred-man unit of "T-men" in a three year investigation against Capone's criminal organization 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...
". Despite attempted jury tampering and death threats against Wilson, Irey's investigation succeeded in the conviction of Capone for tax evasion in 1931.
During 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...
, Irey supported Wilson in his request to have the serial numbers recorded of the ransom money delivered to the kidnappers and would lead to the arrest of one of the suspects Bruno Richard Hauptmann in 1934. Irey's "T-men" unit would continue to prosecute over 15,000 people for tax evasion (with a 90% conviction rate), including Louisiana Gov. Huey Long
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
and Chicago businessman Moses Annenberg
Moses Annenberg
Moses "Moe" Louis Annenberg was an American newspaper publisher, who purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer, the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States. in 1936. The Inquirer has the sixteenth largest average weekday U.S...
, over the course of 27 years.
Named chief coordinator of all the Treasury Department's law enforcement agencies in 1937, Irey would oversee the operations of the U.S. Secret Service
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...
, the IRS Intelligence Unit, U.S. Customs
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Alcohol Tax Unit (predecessor to ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
), and the U.S. Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, until his retirement in 1941.
He wrote his autobiography, "Tax Dodgers" in 1949. He relates stories of how President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
(FDR) used the IRS to attack his political enemies. One was Andrew Mellon, who was Secretary of the Treasury during previous Republican administrations. Mellon was found innocent of all charges.
Irey related the personal interest and direct intervention of FDR in the investigation of Long, another of his political enemies who was considering running for President against Roosevelt in 1936. Several of Long's cronies were convicted, but Long was murdered in 1935 before FDR had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute.
Another memoir of the IRS being used as a political weapon was written by Elmer Lynn Williams, which described the attack on William Malone, a Republican who ran for governor of Illinois.
One of the episodes of the long running radio series "The FBI In Peace And War" featured Mr.Irey commenting on a story called "The Traveling Man" based on a real FBI and Secret Service case in 1952.
Further reading
- Spiering, Frank. The Man Who Got Capone. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1976.
- Irey, Elmer. The Tax Dodgers: The Inside Story of the T-Men's War with America's Political and Underworld Hoodlums, 1949.
- Burnham, David. A Law Unto Itself: The IRS and the Abuse of Power, Vintage Books, 1989.
- Williams, Elmer Lynn. They Got Their Man: A Story of Income Tax Persecution, Cuneo Press, 1941
Contemporary Cultural Reference
The main computer system of the Serious Organised Crime AgencySerious Organised Crime Agency
The Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
is named Elmer, in his honour.