Justice Will Sellers: Boss Tweed’s political corruption still unsurpassed

One hundred fifty years ago, the largest political corruption trial in history ended with the conviction of one William M. “Boss” Tweed, whose vice was so vast and comprehensive that no one is quite sure of how much money he actually stole. Estimates range on the low side of $50 million to the high side of $200 million, which, when converted from 1873 dollars, amounts to roughly $1.5-$3.7 billion today. Tweed’s conviction makes the comparison with other cases of political corruption seem to be mere misdemeanors or foot faults. But, his ability to marshal votes is still the envy of political le