The Malone Family
All born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey
1891 – 1977
1893 – 1960
1897 – 1991
1898 – 1968
1901 – 1971
1905
Their mother passed away
1907
Their father, known for his drinking, abandoned the children
1908
Mollie married
1909–1917
Mollie and her husband had four children: Frank (1909–1959), Margaret (1912–1998), Arthur “Jimmy” (1915–1992), and Tom (1917–1981)
Mike Malone’s Timeline
1911
Graduated from high school in Jersey City
1913
Joined the US Army’s elite Flying Cadet Squadron — only ten years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk
April 1917 –
November 11,
1918
Served in World War I
December
1918
Returned to the US around Christmas
December
26, 1918
Married Irene
1919–1920
Served as an agent in the Bureau of Investigation (later renamed the FBI in 1935)
December 7,
1919
Son, James, born
March 24,
1920
James passed away from complications of prematurity and failure to thrive
1920
After losing his son, Mike left the Bureau of Investigation and joined the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Internal Revenue, Intelligence Unit (IU). The role promised less danger and more time at home. The IU’s mission: investigate and prosecute major tax evasion and financial crimes (The unit later became the IRS–Criminal Investigation Division in 1978).
January 16,
1919
Prohibition enacted
January 17,
1920
Volstead Act passed, outlining enforcement of Prohibition laws
1920–1927
Mike and the IU became critical in enforcing Prohibition He exposed corruption inside the Prohibition Bureau—leading to the dismissal of roughly 750 agents and conviction of 270 for corruption. He investigated scandals such as the Teapot Dome affair and fraud within President Harding’s administration.
November 28,
1920
Daughter, Mary, born
September 30,
1927
Mary tragically killed by a bus
May 16, 1927
The Supreme Court’s United States v Sullivan ruling established that all income—legal or illegal—was taxable, and that declaring illegal earnings did not violate the Fifth Amendment. This set the precedent for prosecuting mobsters on tax evasion charges
1928–1929
Working with Frank Wilson under Elmer Irey, Mike helped apply the new tax law to Capone’s top associates—Ralph Capone, Frank Nitti, and Jake Guzik. The strategy worked, leading Irey to assign Wilson and Malone to build a tax case against Al Capone himself.
November 6,
1928
Herbert Hoover elected President; inaugurated March 4, 1929 He privately urged the Treasury to “get Capone”
Late 1928 –
March 1930
Malone went undercover, learning organized crime operations from Philly gang leader “Boo-Boo” Hoff, who opposed Capone’s growing power
March 1930
Malone infiltrated Chicago’s Lexington Hotel (“Camp Capone”) under deep cover, posing as a trusted associate to collect evidence
1929–1930
Following the St Valentine’s Day Massacre (February 14, 1929), Hoover increased pressure on Irey’s team The “Secret Six,” a coalition of powerful Chicago businessmen, funded additional investigative efforts to clean up the city before the 1933 World’s Fair. For nearly 18 months, Malone lived and worked inside Capone’s circle, reporting intelligence to Wilson and Irey, while Capone believed him a loyal ally.
Early 1931
Malone’s undercover work provided the evidence needed to indict Capone. By then, most of Capone’s lieutenants had been convicted or imprisoned.
June 1931
Capone attempted to plead guilty for a lighter sentence, but Judge James H Wilkerson rejected the deal.
October 1931
Capone’s trial began. Prosecutors presented extensive financial evidence built from Malone and Wilson’s casework. Capone’s defense lasted only one day, claiming gambling losses exceeded his gains.
November 10,
1960
Mike Malone died after 40 years of service with the Intelligence Unit, having contributed to one of the most significant criminal convictions in US history