Randa Abdelfattah and Ramteen Arablui

The stock market crashes.

The entire nation is sent into a tailspin.

It sort of signals the beginning of the Great Depression.

By the time Capone went to trial two years later, in 1931, the country had sunk deep into the Great Depression.

Still, as the trial unfolded, all eyes were on Capone, the man everyone thought was untouchable.

Day after day, rows of photographers swarmed him outside the courthouse.

Eager readers followed along as witnesses took the stand.

And through the papers, Capone made his case to the public, at one point saying, I've been made an issue and I'm not complaining.

But why don't they go after all those bankers who took the savings of thousands of poor people and lost them in bank failures?

Capone gets convicted of tax evasion.

Elmer's there as the judge reads the sentence.

Right after, soon after, there are lines of mobsters at IRS buildings.

Collections from unpaid taxes spiked.

And Herbert Hoover is so thrilled.

He's giddy.

In a sea of losses amid the Great Depression, this was one bright spot for him and the country.

And it makes people feel good about the tax system, too.

It's like, yeah, at least they're paying their taxes.

Hoover was hungry for more.

He instructs Elmer and his team to go on a massive crime sweep across the country.