The 1st Ward
The 1st Ward comes up in 8 episodes of The Cooley Account. Below is every episode, with the exact moments where the conversation turns to The 1st Ward.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 1 · 40 minChicago Poor
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.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 2 · 68 min
The Police Test
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.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 6 · 50 min
Beating Murder(s)
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 about betting on select Ivy League basketball games that are guaranteed winners. It's all ramping toward Bob’s entry into the 1st Ward inner circle and the mysterious Pat Marcy.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 7 · 67 min
D'Arco, Marcy & Aleman
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). The other is Pat Marcy, a man of near-mythical proportions who had the presence of a stone-cold killer. Marcy needs Bob to fix the Harry Aleman trial. Aleman is a hitman who’s been charged with murder, and his trial becomes unprecedented legal history.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 9 · 38 min
Fixing Murder & Marcy Power
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.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 12 · 39 min
A Crisis Of Conscience
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.
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The Cooley Account · Episode 14 · 30 min
The Beginning Of The End
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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The Cooley Account · Episode 16 · 46 min
The End Of Pat Marcy
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.