Tony Accardo: The Chicago Godfather's Bloody Christmas

Tony Accardo: The Chicago Godfather's Bloody Christmas

December 18, 2025 · 1h 10m

About this episode

The episode recounts a violent Christmas story involving mob boss Tony Accardo and a crew of burglars in 1977.

It's a Very Outfit Christmas this holiday season, as Dan and Alana bring you their own version of yuletide cheer: 'twas (not quite) the night before Christmas 1977, when a crew of burglars, stung over their own gift-giving, played Santa in the home of Outfit overlord Tony Accardo…and ended up on a permanent naughty list. Grab some cookies, pour some eggnog, and settle in for the bloodiest tale in Christmas history. Sources: Hillel Levin, "Boosting The Big Tuna,"  Playboy , 2007. The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine,   Time Magazine . William Roemer,  Accardo: The Genuine Godfather. Jeff Coen,  Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled The Chicago Mob. Fred Pascente & Fred Reaves,  Mob Cop: My Life of Crime in the Chicago Police Department. --- The Outfit is a production of Higher Ground and Headgum. Hosted by Dan O’Sullivan and Alana Hope Levinson Executive Produced by Dan O’Sullivan and Alana Hope Levinson Produced by Julia Murray Production Assistance by Franchesca Diaz and CJ Archerd Sound Design and Engineering by Ryan Kozlowski and Andrew Eapen Show theme is Bittersweet Defeat by OTE See Privacy Policy at…

People in this episode

Hosts: Dan O’Sullivan, Alana Hope Levinson

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Higher Ground, Headgum, Playboy, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine, Time Magazine

Books & works: Boosting The Big Tuna, Accardo: The Genuine Godfather, Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled The Chicago Mob, Mob Cop: My Life of Crime in the Chicago Police Department

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