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Gangland Wire

Big Tuna Accardo and his Red Mercedes

Gangland Wire

Gary Jenkins: Mafia Detective

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.6 • 623 Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2023

⏱️ 23 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary and Chicago Outfit expert and author Camillus Robinson discuss Mafia Boss Anthony “Big Tuna” Accardo and the most significant criminal charge he ever faced. The IRS charged Anthony Accardo with tax evasion, just like Al Capone. Accardo went to a jury trial where several people testified that he was a beer salesman and always drove his Red Mercedes Benz sports car when he called on customers. They had to do this because he had deducted his depreciation, mileage, and gasoline for his work use of this unlikely car. We learn that future Southside Chicago Height’s Capo Al Pilotto was instrumental in testifying for Accardo. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Remember to click on www.BetterHelp.com/gangland for 10% off Subscribe to the Podcast for a new gangster story every week. Support the Podcast. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwireClick here to “buy me a cup of coffee” To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup  click here To rent Brothers against Brothers, the documentary, click here.  To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To buy my Kindle book, Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos. To subscribe on iTunes click here. Please give me a review and help others find the podcast. Donate to the podcast. Click here!  Transcript SPEAKERS GARY JENKINS, Camillus Robinson GARY JENKINS 00:00 Well welcome all you Wiretapperss back here in studio Gangland Wire got my good friend Camilius “Cam” Robinson. Welcome cam. Camillus Robinson 00:06 How you doing? Very good to see you. GARY JENKINS 00:08 Well, it’s a cold up there in Chicago with cold and hell down there. Camillus Robinson 00:12 Yeah, it is it was in the it was in the teens earlier I might get up into the midterm needs to GARY JENKINS 00:16 do. Anyhow, we’re going to talk about the big Tuna or Joe Batters, Anthony Accardo today and him and I both stumble across this little story. And I mentioned to him and he’d already knew something about it. And it’s the little red sportscar story. This is really fascinating, I think, in the lender in the 50s. Tony Accardo had the perfect job. He was a beer salesman, I remember as a kid guys wanted to get a job with the pearl brewery or on the brewery truck, because you got all the free beer you wanted to drink. Accardo had it for other reasons. Of course, you know, he was an outfit guy. He was he was the boss at the time. And he had a lot of connections with Chicago bars and liquor distributors and places to buy beer when you say Camillus Robinson 01:09 Damn, that’s where you make the pickups. Three pickups, cash. That’s where GARY JENKINS 01:13 you pick up the case, man. sports gambling was going on out. That’s where the deals are made. And that’s where that’s where the gamblers were, that’s where the money was. And he made $65,000 a year as a beer salesman. For everyone round he got he also got I mean, look at my notes here. He got five cents a case on all Foxhead beer. he sold. He was working for this company. It wasn’t really a mob company particularly but he was he was the mob guy representing them. And it probably was more of a mob company. We realize he deducted his expenses and like car expenses. Other expenses depreciated. That is a concern. But what’s interesting is his car was a little red sports car, but it wasn’t just any little red sports car. Was it what was it? I know you’re this Camillus Robinson 02:06 guy as a car guy, you know, I know your motorcycle guy. But so for me the 300 SL, Mercedes Gullwing. We know what’s going on because Gary, I wondered for years, Gary found a great quote from the judge talking about the up and down doors. But 300 300 SL Goldwing was the first supercar I sat in one at an auction it’s got a steering wheel ...

Transcript

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0:00.0

Well, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire.

0:03.2

I got my good friend Camillis Cam Robinson.

0:05.8

Welcome, Cam.

0:06.9

How you doing, Gary? Good to see you.

0:08.6

Well, is it cold up there in Chicago?

0:10.9

It's colder in hell down here.

0:12.6

Yeah, it is.

0:13.2

It was in the teams earlier.

0:15.1

I might get up into the mid-tune yesterday.

0:17.1

I see your dress for.

0:18.4

Me too.

0:24.1

Anyhow, we're going to talk about the big tuna,

0:26.5

Joe Batters, Anthony O'Cardo, today.

0:30.1

And Cam and I both stumbled across this little story.

0:33.2

And I mentioned to him, and he already knew something about it.

0:35.7

And it's the little red sports car story.

0:39.0

This is really fascinating, I think.

0:45.2

And during the 50s, Tony Ricardo had the perfect job.

0:47.1

He was a beer salesman.

0:52.2

I remember as a kid, guys wanted to get a job with the Pearl Brewery or on the brewery truck because you got all the free brewer you wanted to drink.

0:55.3

But Ricardo had it for other reasons.

0:57.6

Of course, you know, he was an outfit guy.

...

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