Chicago's "Secret Six" Were Wealthy Businessmen Who Fought Crime When the Police Wouldn't — Al Capone Credited Them With His Downfall

By 1930, Chicago had a serious problem. The city's police force was riddled with corruption, gangsters operated in broad daylight, and ordinary citizens lived in fear of bombings, kidnappings, and extortion. Something had to change — and six wealthy businessmen decided they'd be the ones to change it.

When Businessmen Became Crime Fighters

On February 8, 1930, the Chicago Association of Commerce quietly established the Crime Prevention and Punishment Committee — better known as the Secret Six. Led by Col. Robert Isham Randolph, the group was funded by some of Chicago's wealthiest and most powerful business leaders, whose identities were kept anonymous for their own safety.

Taking On Al Capone

The Secret Six didn't just investigate petty crime. They went after the biggest names in organized crime, including Al Capone himself. The organization helped launch Eliot Ness and his legendary Untouchables, funding investigations that would eventually help bring Capone to justice. They operated out of a makeshift jail inside the St. Clair Hotel and employed private agents who gathered evidence the police either couldn't or wouldn't touch.

Dozens of Cases Cracked

Over three years, the Secret Six investigated dozens of bombings, kidnappings, extortion schemes, and bank robberies. They won nationwide fame and even inspired a 1931 MGM movie of the same name. Capone himself reportedly credited the Secret Six as a major force behind his downfall.

A Dramatic End

But the Secret Six couldn't outrun controversy forever. By January 1933, accusations of bigamy and recklessness against their agents — plus a widely publicized false-arrest lawsuit — brought the organization to its knees. After just three years, Chicago's most unlikely crime fighters quietly disbanded.