The Cooley Account
What started as research for a movie resulted in these recordings. This is the life story of Bob Cooley, a man who accomplished the impossible by decapitating Al Capone's syndicate. In the 1970’s Bob Cooley was a young cop who decided to became a lawyer, and ultimately found himself being an insider for the Chicago syndicate. The mob controlled the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. This multipart conversation details the inner workings of the notorious Chicago crime syndicate called the Outfit. From politicians on the take to a corrupt court system and cold case murders, we cover it all. There are also never before revealed details about cult icon Count Dante and mob fixture Pat Marcy. If you’re intrigued by organized crime, political corruption, and other matters of deceit this story for you.
Episodes
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How did Bob Cooley become the insider who destroyed the Chicago mob and the 1st Ward? We start at Bob’s youth on the South Side of Chicago, as he details his childhood struggles and the murders of both his grandfathers. Both men were cops, one ironically killed by Al Capone's hitmen.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. Thank you for listening!
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Bob’s scholarship at Marquette ends abruptly because of his fighting and money-making schemes. He moves back home and bounces between odd jobs before he takes the Chicago Police exam. Once on the force, he teams up with a cop who introduces him to the Chicago Machine.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. Thank you for listening!
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Bob becomes a Chicago cop and applies his street smarts to rise rapidly through the ranks. His encounters at the criminal courts inspire him to go to law school, but his world is shattered when he's left for dead after being run over by a patrol car. This is the third and final pillar of Bob's youth, as the foundation is set for his journey into Chicago's underworld. ...
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The malfeasance in the Chicago courts inspires Bob to go to law school. Mob-connected cop Rick Borelli introduces him to the web of illegal gambling operations that reach into the western suburbs of Chicago.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. Thank you for listening!
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A strange character named Count Dante enlists Bob for legal help. The Count is being charged with murder for an attack on an opposing dojo whose owner is siphoning his clients. Bob finds himself entangled in the Count's bizarre world, which he has to break away from. After the Count's mysterious death, Bob discovers evidence that he was involved in the Purolator Armored Exp...
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Bob takes on two high-profile murder cases and mounts the "jagoff defense" in the Joey Airdo trial. Early success catapults him on a trajectory toward becoming known as a fixer in Chicago, but he's also collecting enemies inside the FBI and the Chicago Police Department.
We also discuss a run-in with the notorious Tony Spilotro and a tip from a reliable source...
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This conversation propels us into the inner sanctum of Chicago’s 1st Ward. A shadow government within a government that controlled the state of Illinois. Two men operate the levers of power, both of whom started as gunmen for Al Capone. One is John D’Arco Sr. who needs Bob to take his wayward son under his wing and teach him how to be a lawyer (despite him being a state senator). Th...
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We continue our conversation about the Harry Aleman murder trial and detail how Bob fixed the case. The stakes are life and death for Bob as Judge Wilson wavers about his conclusion due to threats in the papers targeting Wilson and his family. The Aleman case is unprecedented in the annals of the American legal system.
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Carol Jean DiPasalegne was murdered by her husband, but the 1st Ward fixed the case so her husband would walk free so the machine could steal the insurance money on a double indemnity clause. Bob also explains how Pat Marcy gained control of the 1st Ward and exerted his ruthless power.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. Thank you for listening!
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There's a hit on Bob’s life for refusing to expose a witness in a trial. We also discuss the disappearance of Karen Lee Koppel. Koppel goes missing after her relationship with the head of the janitors union goes sideways. (This was a cold case, but through sources, I have found out it is an active investigation.) We end as Bob enters another world of corruption when he is hired...
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Bob is introduced to members of Chinese organized crime by Chicago Alderman Fred Roti. A few members of the Ghost Shadows are pinned for a murder and need Bob's help. This begins a new chapter in Bob's life that takes him to the East Coast and an underworld of Chinese mobsters stretching from Manhattan to Boston.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein....
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At the behest of Pat Marcy, Bob defends a man accused of assaulting a female cop. Bob's encounter with Marcy after the trial is the spark that sends him to visit the Organized Crime Strike Force and turn on the 1st Ward. We also touch upon gambling operations at the local horse racing tracks in the Chicagoland area.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. ...
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After departing the Crime Task Force office, Bob carries with him the weight of a life-altering moment. In the days that follow, the FBI unexpectedly arrives at his office, driven by a mission to validate his claims, urging him to don a wire. In a familiar pattern, the unfolding events hurtle toward a perilous conclusion, with lives hanging in the balance, entangled in the sinister ...
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Growing frustrated, Bob begins to build his own cases against the 1st Ward and the Chicago Outfit. He wears a wire on Pat Marcy and hatches a plan to bring down Johnny D'Arco Junior by passing legislation for a bribe. There's also a sting operation that goes sideways in Wisconsin when Bob and the FBI set up some mobsters with the opportunity to rob a $ 1 million poker game....
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Bob has to leave Chicago for good as the FBI fans across the city with subpoenas and indict a cadre of politicians and organized crime members. Also in this conversation, Bob details wearing a wire on Fred Roti and how he escaped a death test that Pat Marcy attempted to snare him in. There’s also the story about how he set up John D’Arco Jr. into nearly passing an insurance law in re...
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Pat Marcy is indicted on corruption charges; his co-defendant is Alderman Roti. Bob is the first witness to testify, but things go sideways immediately. This conversation details the end of Pat Marcy and Fred Roti, as well as a detailed dive into a circus ticket scheme rigged off the back of disadvantaged Chicago kids.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. Th...
Send a text and follow Neal on X @nealedelstein.
The final chapter and conclusion of the Bob Cooley journey. Thank you all for listening, and stay connected as the conversation continues on X and other social media platforms.
Questions? Comments? Find Neal on Twitter at @NealEdelstein. Thank you for listening!
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