DD Support Board and Research Team

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Do you remember when the Chicago Sun-Times in 1977 set up a real decoy tavern on Wells Street called "The Mirage?"

What journalism! Led to a 25-part series that documented the many abuses and crimes committed at the tavern, which was shaken down repeatedly by state and local officials. The series was initially nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for general reporting, BUT the Pulitzer board decided not to award the Sun-Times/BGA collaboration after editor Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post led an attack on the grounds the reporters used undercover reporting, a form of deception, to report the story.[3]"

The Mirage gave rise to major reforms including city code revisions, new procedures in city inspections and investigations at federal, state and city levels. The IRS sent in 20 agents to take a closer look at tax fraud by cash businesses. The Illinois Department of Revenue formed a new investigative unit: the Mirage Audit Unit. An ongoing federal investigation, spurred by the Mirage findings, managed indictments of a third of the city’s electrical inspectors in 1978, with more indictments to come later.

Also reported were illegal kickbacks from pinball operators and jukebox operators (A.A. Swingtime Music Company), as well as tax skimming.[9] Philip J. Barasch, a local accountant, gave the new owners of the bar extensive lessons on how to keep two sets of account books to skim profits without paying tax and advised them exactly what time of day inspectors showed up and how much their shakedowns would typically cost. He also suggested including his business card with any payoffs to help smooth the shakedown process."

"The tavern, which has had more than one owner since the Sun-Times investigation, is now known, after a number of improvements, as the Brehon Pub."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_Tavern