Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS

Gangsters, banksters, and politicians. Today on the show, how the hunt for Al Capone helped turn the IRS into one of the U.S. government's most powerful tools — and most effective weapons. This episode originally published in May of 2025. Guests: Joe Thorndike , historian for Tax Analysts and author of Their Fair Share: Taxing the Rich in the Age of FDR. Paul Camacho , retired special agent for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division and member of the board of directors at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Jason Scott Smith , historian at The University of New Mexico and author of two books about FDR and the New Deal. Lawrence Reed , president emeritus of The Foundation for Economic Education. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free,

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Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS is an episode from Throughline by NPR.

This episode is 51:37 long.

This episode was published on Apr 2, 2026.

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