Carl Elias is a criminal mastermind and one of the primary antagonists on the CBS series Person of Interest .Classified by his high intellect and his Machiavellian tactics, Elias rose through the ranks of New York City's underworld in an attempt to unite the crime families into one massive criminal conglomerate, with himself as absolute ruler.Initially just a name, or codename, to Finch and Reese, Elias was hot on their radar before one mission saw Reese protecting a school teacher named Charlie Burton. Supposedly a witness to a botched Mob hit, Burton is protected in Reese's custody from the reigning Russian Mob syndicate in Brighton Beach.After Reese's attempts to rescue Charlie from his potential assassins prove successful, Charlie is unveiled as Elias himself. Using Finch and Reese's intel against them, he drove his enemies out into the open, systematically wiping them out of existence, and taking hold of their territory.Elias was born Carl Elias, whose mother played mistress to one of New York's most notorious Mob Bosses, Don Gianni Moretti. After bearing his child, Carl, Moretti stabbed her to death, and was acquitted of all charges.Years later, Carl began working for Moretti, under the guise of ignorance to who his mother's killer was. Learning from his father and gaining inside knowledge to their underworld infrastructure, Carl began plotting his inevitable revenge. After Moretti's failed attempt to have Carl executed, Carl vanished and created a new identity in Charlie Burton. Through this facade, he waited patiently as he methodically began his own criminal empire from the shadows.After gaining control of the city, Reese and Finch found themselves using Elias as a lifeline for resources and assistance whenever dealing with the city's criminal world. But eventually, Elias puts Detective Carter's life in danger as the final stages of his plan sees the murder of several mob bosses in her protective custody.Elias is caught and incarcerated, but not before having his father and half brother killed with a car bomb. From behind bars, Elias still controls all the criminal activity in New York, biding his time until he finds a way out.More recently, Elias now finds Finch to be a suitable opponent in the game of chess. Show less «