Eliot Ness US Department of Justice Special Agent Date of Birth: 19.04.1903 Country: USA

Biography of Eliot Ness

Eliot Ness, a special agent of the United States Department of Justice, started his career as a regular employee of a relatively small intelligence agency. However, as America was emerging as a superpower, it needed its own history and myths, which led to Ness being appointed as a hero, almost like Superman. The myth required a clear polarization of good and evil, and the embodiment of these principles needed to be described in vivid detail. Al Capone himself was a colorful figure, and his conqueror, of course, could not be an ordinary servant in a cheap suit, blending in with the crowd dressed in black. He had to possess the texture of a movie hero and extreme comic book notions of good and evil. And, of course, a good hero had to defeat enemy hordes alone or with a little help from friends. Hollywood and dream factories did their best. Several feature films and several television series of varying degrees of mediocrity transformed the myth of Eliot Ness and his "Untouchables" into part of America's official history.

However, Ness's name is not mentioned in the historical sections of the official FBI website. This is because life is not a comic book, and it takes long, and most importantly, collective efforts to put a mafia boss behind bars. At some point, believing in his own invincibility against the law, Capone hired a special press agent. The agent earned his salary: newspapers wrote more about the mafia boss than about movie stars, let alone politicians.

This fact greatly upset President Herbert Hoover, who only wanted to see Capone behind bars. The "Untouchables," led by the stubborn Ness, annoyed the mafia boss no more than a persistent fly. They were certainly irritating, but for every confiscated truck of whiskey, there were ten others successfully delivering contraband to their destination. By that time, the FBI had long had a special department to combat bootleggers (in America, during the prohibition). It was led by Elmer Irey. It was he who discovered that Capone had purchased a luxurious house in Miami through fake companies. Federal agents even obtained the mafia's accounting books. However, the agents had no idea what to do with them.

At some point, Irey and Ness joined forces. And then came the stroke of luck: one of Eliot's agents overheard mafia conversations about framing Capone for tax evasion. The conversation revolved around those very accounting books and the people who maintained them. Irey and Ness found the accountants and persuaded them to cooperate. FBI agents could now determine Capone's income from alcohol sales...

Al Capone spent the next seven years in the most terrifying American prison, Alcatraz. He did not serve the full term imposed by the judge because he became disabled. Without proper medical care, his advanced syphilis became evident. Eight years later, this disease brought Al Capone to his grave. In his final years, the former mafia boss had the mind of a young child and millions of dollars in bank accounts. He died at his own villa in Miami.

Both Irey and Ness outlived their enemy. In reward for their courageous service, they received small pensions and cheap commemorative watches. Years later, Ness became a hero of Hollywood. Posthumously.