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Federal Agents
Nelson Van Alden
Eric Sebso
BIR Agent Eric Sebso
Played by: Erik Weiner
Van Alden's partner.
- And Call Him "George": He dies when Van Alden tries to convert him to Christianity and/or make him confess that he ruined the case against Jimmy on purpose.
- Bumbling Sidekick: As part of Obfuscating Stupidity, Sebso plays the part of the incompetent stooge. He mishandles evidence, he's slow-witted and is a hindrance to Van Alden.
- Character Death: He's accidentally killed by a crazed Van Alden during a forced baptism.
- Dirty Cop: He's a prohibition agent, but he secretly works to sabotage his own investigation at the behest of Nucky Thompson.
- Faux Affably Evil: Sebso is disarmingly clumsy and foolish, or at least that's the part he plays. In reality, he's a ruthless Dirty Cop.
- Informed Judaism: At first he seems completely secular and the only mention of his heritage is him speaking Yiddish as part of a joke in "Broadway Limited". In "Paris Green", however, he adamantly refuses Van Alden's attempt to forcibly convert him and which leads to his death.
- Last-Name Basis: His first name isn't revealed until after his death.
- The Mole: For Nucky Thompson and his syndicate.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Initially, Sebso just seems wildly incompetent. It's later revealed that he's actually corrupt, and his supposed incompetence is due to him actively working against the investigation he's part of.
- Pre-emptive Declaration: He uses this before killing Billy Winslow.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: After killing said witness, he hits himself in the head with a rock to make it look like he was attacked.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: As part of his Informed Judaism.
Warren Knox / James Tolliver
BIR Agent Warren Knox/BoI Agent James Tolliver
Played by: Brian Geraghty
"I'll find the weakest link in Nucky's chain. And I'll break it."
Atlantic City's newest Prohibition agent, Knox is hoping his proximity to the Thompson Organization will yield substantial rewards.- Asshole Victim: No one shed any tears when Eli bashed his brains in.
- Ax-Crazy: Increasingly revealed to be this as Season 4 progresses.
- Been There, Shaped History: He's on first name basis with J. Edgar Hoover.
- Big Bad: In Season 4 along with Dr. Narcisse as part of the story arc's Big Bad Ensemble. His investigation into the existence of a nationwide criminal conspiracy on behalf of the BOI poses the most direct threat to Nucky Thompson and ultimately succeeds in placing his entire organization within Hoover's crosshairs by the end of the season (albeit not quite the way he intended).
- Bitchin Sheeps Clothing: His All-American good lucks serve as a convenient mask for his ruthlessness and sadism.
- Bludgeoned to Death: Eli bashes his head in with a vase.
- Bumbling Sidekick / Clueless Deputy: Introduced as one in "New York Sour", but it's actually an act.
- Cassandra Truth: He's (correctly) convinced that the major American crime bosses in New York, Atlantic City, Chicago, and Florida are all working together. However, his superiors don't believe him, no matter how much evidence he gathers.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: He's unamused by Hoover stealing his theories and not giving priority to his investigations.
- Faux Affably Evil: He (almost) never raises his voice, and gets along very well with Eli's family, this is all an act, of course. He also attempts to induce Stockholm Syndrome on Eddie when he's interrogating him and on Eli when he becomes his informant.
- FBI Agent: He is an undercover agent sent by J. Edgar Hoover to root out corruption in the BIR and take down bootleggers.
- Foil: To Sebso. Both have their own goals and hide them from their superiors by playing Obfuscating Stupidity, but while Sebso is a corrupt agent on Nucky's payroll that is sabotaging Van Alden's work, Knox is an undercover BoI agent that really wants to get rid of alcohol and corruption within the BIR, starting by the dirty agents Sawicki and Elliot.
- Gone Horribly Right: As per his page quote his plan to break the weak link in Thompson's chain proves so effective that Eddie Kessler winds up killing himself after doing exactly what Knox wanted and informing on Nucky.
- Gosh Darn It to Heck!: He uses these to avoid swearing.
- Gratuitous German: As a former member of Military Intelligence during World War I, he speaks it fluently and drops some sentences in "Erlkonig".
- Hoist by His Own Petard: His sadism and need to establish dominance over the people under his thumb often gets the better of him, as he cannot help himself from wanting to see them squirm before him. This manages to seriously backfire on him twice. First is when, he pushes Eddie too far and drives him to suicide. The second time is he overtly tries to unnerve Eli by visiting his home in the guise of an insurance agent. His strange demeanor during the visit, however, leaves a strong enough impression on June that she later mentions the weird "blue-eyed" insurance agent that came by their house to Nucky, and this brief physical description is enough for Nucky to put two and two together.
- Indy Ploy: After being rebuffed by the bank holding Eddie's account(s) (holding in turn Nucky's money), Eli trusts him to retrieve it. Knox then tells the banker that Eddie is suspicious of being an Anarchist activist and convinces him to turn in the contents after threatening with prosecution for obstruction of justice.
- Icy Blue Eyes: He has a particularly cold and dead way of staring at people; something that is only made more pronounced by the fact that he also has bright blue eyes and almost never blinks. In fact, his piercing blue eyes are so notable that when June mentions the strange blue-eyed insurance agent who came to speak with Eli, Nucky immediately figures out who she is talking about.
- Jerkass: He pushes the Relative Button a little too much with Eli, and his interrogation of Eddie Kessler, which includes but is not limited to bringing up his past, which includes adultery, embezzlement, and the threat of deportation if he doesn't cooperate, causes him to Commit Suicide
- Knight Templar: Despite posing as a corrupt BIR cop on the take, he is subsequently revealed to be an idealistic federal agent unwaveringly committed to purging the U.S. of crime. However, the sheer brutality of his methods along with the sadism he exhibits when employing them make him a harbinger for the authoritarianism his organization will soon come to embody under Hoover's leadership.
- Manipulative Bastard: Early in the season 4 premiere
, he sees Agent Sawicki take a bribe and also hears a bootlegger complaining about how the bootlegger's warehouse has been broken into so many times that he's rigged a lethal booby trap for the next thief. Tolliver promptly pretends to receive a tip that sends Sawicki and himself to the bootlegger's warehouse, and pretends to be so incompetent that Sawicki actually orders him to stay by the car... and out of harm's way. Sawicki is wounded by the shotgun booby-trap, Tolliver kills the bootlegger as he comes to see who tripped his trap, and then calmly tells the dying Sawicki that he'll call for help... as soon as he gets over the shock that is affecting him. He then simply watches Sawicki die. - New Meat: So it appears.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: After spending the season premiere looking like a laughably gullible guy, he shows his true colors as the second coming of Van Alden.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Pulls a rather tame one by the standards of the trope in "Erlkönig". The psychological part proves more effective.
- Rasputinian Death: He is punched, kicked, choked and finally bludgeoned to death by Eli.
- Sarcastic Confession: After he becomes the head of the Prohibition enforcement in Atlantic City and meets Nucky, he tells him: "I do intend to take my duties with the utmost seriousness and to enforce the existing laws to the best of my abilities." Everybody is shocked before he adds that he was just joking. Actually, Tolliver was serious since he's an undercover BoI agent.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Van Alden.
- The Sociopath: He seems rather harmless and clueless at first, but between his ability to use this first impression to his advantage, his very unscrupulous methods and ability to lie effortlessly, his capacity for sadism, and the cold and unblinking manner in which he stares at people, it gets increasingly obvious that there is something seriously "off" with him.
- The Unblinking: Study his eyes in any given scene and you'll quickly notice he almost never blinks, but regards everyone with cold, unmoving eyes, even during conversations.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: He is actually an undercover Bureau of Investigation agent posing as a corrupt BIR agent.
- Villainous Breakdown: After getting ignored one to many times by his superiors, and having an important sting operation go awry under his watch, what little sanity Knox possesses begins to quickly fray.
- Walking Spoiler: Despite seeming being a very straight-forward newbie agent in his first appearance, there is quickly revealed to be much more to his character, which makes it hard to discuss him in any kind of detail.
Stanley Sawicki
BIR Agent Stanley "Stan" Sawicki
Played by: Joseph Aniska
"I have not been paid yet."
One of two agents that are assigned to work under Van Alden in Season 2, following Sebso's demise. He is of Polish descent.- Cruel and Unusual Death: Shot by a shotgun tied to a door, left to choke on his blood while his "partner" stares at him joking he'll do nothing.
- Dirty Cop: In Season 3 he can be considered a member of Nucky's organization.
- The Eeyore: In Season 2, in contrast to Clarkson. He does not believe that they can Clean Up the Town and as the season goes on he loses all faith in the job.
- Karmic Death: If he did in fact set Owen up, his own death can be practically considered Laser-Guided Karma. Fed up with Sawicki's corruption, his new partner Knox talks him into making a bust knowing that it will get Sawicki killed.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Clarkson's red.
- Those Two Guys: With Clarkson in Season 2.
- Uncertain Doom: As of the end of Season 3. He's back for the first episode of Season 4. Then dies.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He goes with Owen to kill Masseria in "A Man, A Plan...". Owen's body is returned in a box, but we didn't hear from Sawicki for the rest of Season 3. The fact he's back in town at the start of season 4 would suggest he set Owen up.
- You Are in Command Now: After Clarkson is WIA and Van Alden runs away, leaving him as the only "prohi" in town.
Clarkson
BIR Agent Clarkson
Played by: Joel Brady
"We are prohees, Stan. We are going to make an arrest."
The second agent assigned to work under Van Alden and Sawicki's partner.- Accidental Pervert: He gives a guide ("If Jesus ever came to Atlantic City") to Van Alden's wife Rose, believing that it lists the town's churches. It's actually a guide about the places where Jesus would not go.
- Clean Up the Town: And the Squad too. He is a firm believer of this.
- Cowboy Cop: He convinces Sawicki to overrule Van Alden's orders and investigate Mickey Doyle - and perhaps Van Alden himself.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He's caught up in Owen's explosion of Mickey's still for his trouble.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Sawicki's blue.
- Those Two Guys: With Sawicki in Season 2.
- Two-Faced: While he agonizes after catching an explosion to one side.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
Word of God says that he didn't survive his injuries.
Mike Malone / Mike D'Angelo
Mike Malone a.k.a. Mike D'Angelo
Played by: Louis Cancelmi
One of Eliot Ness' agents, acting as a mole in Al Capone's organization where he has become a well respected and high-ranking member of Capone's inner circle.
- Fake Nationality: In-universe, he is an Irish-American agent posing as an Italian-American gangster. The actor is actually Italian-American.
- Historical Domain Character: He really existed.
- The Infiltration / The Mole: A non-corrupt fed in the Chicago Outfit.
- Oh, Crap!: Shares a very extended one when he watches Capone interrogate Van Alden and Eli, shoots Van Alden, and gets handed the ledger that brings down Capone's empire.
- The Plan: After learning that Van Alden is a former BIR agent being wanted for murder, he pressures him and Eli into stealing the ledgers detailing Capone's tax evasions, ensuring that he will be judged in federal court by a jury he can't buy.
- Remember the New Guy?: Because of the unplanned 7 years-long time jump between seasons 4 and 5.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: He does this to Van Alden when he addresses him as "Nelson", then repeats it by calling Eli "Sheriff Thompson".
Eliot Ness
Eliot Ness
Played by: Jim True-Frost
A Chicago Treasury agent who has publicly declared that he will bring down Al Capone.
- Historical Domain Character: He's a fictionalization of the man who would eventually be one of the first to publicly oppose Al Capone.
Bureaucrats
Esther Randolph
Esther Randolph
Played by: Julianne Nicholson
"I run naked through the pages of the U.S. criminal code."
The Assistant US Attorney assigned to prosecute Nucky for election rigging, embezzling, murder and bootlegging. Unlike her predecessor, who was on the take, she represents a challenge to Nucky because of her professionalism and the fact that she can't be bought by the usual means since she is a teetotaler and a woman. During her stance in Atlantic City she is also assigned the same room where Van Alden has his office, causing conflict with him.- Crusading Lawyer: Not even her superiors are interested in persecuting bootleggers.
- Enemy Mine: Nucky makes her an offer she can't refuse in season 3 - team up with him to take down Harry Daugherty and George Remus. Nucky gets his enemies taken care of, and Esther rebuilds her career from the damage Nucky's failed trial did to it.
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Randolph and her assistant use this trope to great effect as an interrogation technique when trying to needle Ray Halloran for information. Halloran even makes a joke about the two of them being married (they're actually only sleeping with each other).
- Go-Karting with Bowser: In Season 3 she accepts Nucky's invitation to breakfast.
- Good Is Not Nice: However, she's one of the few law enforcement characters who isn't corrupt or a Knight Templar.
- Heroine Antagonist: She's probably the most moral character on the show.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Has a brief case of it when she moves in and takes over a part of Nelson's office, including his desk.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Replaces the real Assistant Attorney General during the Prohibition era, Mabel Walker Willebrandt.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: After her big case against Nucky flounders, she is assigned to prosecute bit-time bootleggers on night court.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only female employee in the building, this being the 1920s and everything.
- Stealth Insult: Pulls a few on Halloran.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: She's a much better person than Nucky. Unlike other law enforcement characters, she's neither cruel nor corrupt. Before she was assigned to prosecute Nucky, she worked as a lawyer representing the most disadvantaged: draft dodgers and prostitutes.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Nucky in Season 3.
J. Edgar Hoover
BoI Director J. Edgar Hoover
Played by: Eric Ladin
"I think it's time, considering the respect the position deserves, you begin referring to me as Director Hoover."
A rising federal star who serves as Acting Director of the Bureau of Investigation.
- Aborted Arc: At the end of S4, he forces Dr. Narcisse to become a snitch for him and bring down the UNIA from the inside. This is not revisited in S5, which is set 7 years later and Hoover's character is absent.
- Always Gets His Man: Introduced as an incorruptible law enforcer who is determined to scourge corruption from both sides of the law.
- Fair Cop/Young and in Charge: He is only 29 when he becomes acting director of the BoI. Fred Elliot doesn't take Hoover seriously because of his age and calls him a child upon being questioned by him when they first meet.
- FBI Agent: A proto-agent, as the Bureau of Investigation would become the FBI in 1935.
- First-Name Basis: He refers to a trusted agent as Jim and has no problem with the agent calling him Edgar in return. This is subverted as their relationship goes sour when he demands to be addressed as "Director Hoover."
- Foil: An untainted official, unlike the crooked agents of the BIR.
- Glad I Thought of It: After dismissing it, he steals Tolliver's theory about the existence of a nation-wide criminal network.
- Greater-Scope Villain: In Season 4. As the new Director of the Bureau of Investigation, he institutes highly selective hiring standards and ruthlessly efficient investigation procedures that provide his organization with the resources to infiltrate and thoroughly investigate Nucky's massive criminal empire. It is this fact that enables BoI agents such as Jim Tolliver to pose a far greater threat to the Atlantic City political machine than BRI Agent Van Alden ever did.
- Historical Domain Character: One of the few non-fictional law enforcers.
- Historical Person Punchline: In his first episode, "Resignation".
- Inspector Javert: Is obsessed with bringing down Marcus Garvey since he believes the civil rights movement is a threat to America. As a result he largely ignores the issue of organized crime.
- It Will Never Catch On: Scoffs at the idea of a large-scale network of organized crime (which is very much Truth in Television).
- The Comically Serious: Especially when contrasted with George Remus.
- Under New Management/Jurisdiction Friction: His Bureau of Investigation takes over the corrupt BIR. Bootlegging is the BIR's jurisdiction but the BoI is brought in due to the corruption among BIR agents.
- Young Future Famous People: He's introduced at age 29, with his historical personality already fully developed.
Fred Elliot
BIR Supervising Agent Frederick "Fred" Elliot
Played by: Peter McRobbie
"You are a Prohibition agent, not Bulldog Drummond!"
Van Alden's superior while he is still in the BIR.- All There in the Manual: His name.
- The Bus Came Back: Appears again in Season 4 after being absent during 3.
- Demoted to Extra: In Season 2.
- Dirty Cop: Shown to be working with Nucky in season 4.
- Not so Fast, Bucko!: About half his dialogue with Van Alden.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: To Van Alden. Elliot is only interested in the fight against illegal liquor, not caring about its use to finance organized crime.
- Oh, Crap!: His reaction when he realizes his bosses are tired of his corruption and inaction and have sent in the BoI to clean up his mess.
- Police Are Useless: "Resignation" reveals that he is a Dirty Cop. And probably was one since the beginning.
- Rousing Speech: In the Pilot, before the new BIR recruits.
- Stupid Neutral: Elliot is aware of Nucky's many crimes as a corrupt politician including embezzling, tax evasion and election fraud, and his number one agent believes that he is related to five murders and another attempt. What does he do? Nothing! He is a Prohibition agent, he and his men are not going to persecute other crime but bootlegging. Even if bootlegging is rampant in the town because of a certain Mr. Thompson's influence in the first place. What, passing the evidence to the correct department, you ask? Why? He's corrupt. That's why.
