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Lore & Background

The lore of Spilotro's Vegas is rooted in his transition from a Chicago youth to a feared enforcer. Born on May 19, 1938, he grew up in a family where his uncle Patsy Spilotro ran Patsy's Restaurant, a hub for mobsters like Sam Giancana. By 1970, Spilotro moved to Las Vegas, bored with his assignment of managing skims for Rosenthal's casinos. To fill the void, he formed the "Hole in the Wall Gang," named for their method of drilling through exterior walls and ceilings. The gang's notoriety peaked on July 4, 1981, when they robbed Bertha's Gifts & Home Furnishings, leading to the arrest of Frank Cullotta as the primary target. This event triggered a chain reaction: Cullotta flipped to the FBI, testifying that Spilotro ordered over 300 crimes and specific murders, including the alleged 1962 slayings of William McCarthy and James Miraglia. Despite these admissions, Spilotro was acquitted in 1983, defended by future mayor Oscar Goodman.

In Their Own Story

The narrative arc culminates in the stark reality of his death. By January 1986, Spilotro had run afoul of the Chicago Outfit leadership due to mishandling their concerns and personal indiscretions, including an affair with Rosenthal's wife, Geri McGee. At a meeting at the Czech Lodge in North Riverside, Illinois, mob boss Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo's replacement, Samuel Carlisi, addressed Spilotro's failures. When enforcer Rocco Infelice stated, "Hit him," the room unanimously agreed. On June 14, 1986, Spilotro and his brother Michael disappeared from their Oak Park home. Their bodies were found on June 22 in a cornfield near Enos, Indiana, stripped to undershorts and buried one atop the other. While initial reports suggested a beating there, later testimony from Nicholas Calabrese revealed they were killed in a Bensenville basement, where Tony reportedly asked, "Can I say a prayer?" before being transported to the grave.

Reader's Guide

The guide to this cinematic history relies on specific factual anchors provided by Pileggi and the film. The story centers on Spilotro's role as the leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang, who drilled through walls to commit burglaries starting after his 1971 move to Vegas. Key moments include the botched July 4, 1981 robbery at Bertha's Gifts and Cullotta's subsequent cooperation with the FBI. The narrative highlights Spilotro's defense attorney, Oscar Goodman, who later became Las Vegas mayor. The film adapts these events into the character Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pesci), contrasting him with Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), based on Rosenthal. The story concludes with the 2007 Operation Family Secrets trial, where Nicholas Calabrese admitted to planning or carrying out the Spilotro killings, and James Marcello was convicted in September 2007 for the murders.

Did You Know?

• Spilotro earned the nickname "Tony the Ant" because the media changed FBI Agent William Roemer's description of him as a "pissant."
• The Hole in the Wall Gang got its name from their specific method of drilling through exterior walls and ceilings to enter buildings.
• Anthony Spilotro's defense attorney during his 1983 trial was Oscar Goodman, who later became the mayor of Las Vegas.
• Nicholas Calabrese testified that Spilotro asked to say a prayer in a Bensenville basement just before he and his brother were killed.
• Frank Cullotta admitted at an October 1983 trial that he participated in over 300 crimes, including four murders, under Spilotro's orders.

Origins and Criminal Foundation

Born in Chicago's South Side in 1938, Anthony John Spilotro emerged from a family deeply entrenched in organized crime. His father operated Patsy's Restaurant, a known hangout for high-ranking mob figures like Sam Giancana and Frank Nitti, providing young Anthony with early exposure to the underworld. Alongside his four brothers and childhood friend Frank Cullotta, Spilotro began engaging in theft and burglary at a tender age. While one brother pursued dentistry, the rest followed the family trade, with Victor eventually joining the Chicago Outfit after Anthony's death. The media later dubbed him "Tony the Ant," a nickname derived from an FBI agent's derogatory comment calling him a "pissant." Before his move to Las Vegas, Spilotro briefly worked for a bail bonds company in the early 1960s, but his true path lay in violent criminal enterprises. His early career was marked by brutal acts of violence, including the 1962 murders of William McCarthy and James Miraglia, setting the stage for his future as a feared enforcer.

The Hole in the Wall Gang

Upon relocating to Las Vegas in 1971 to oversee Chicago Outfit interests at four major casinos, Spilotro found the role of managing illegal skimming operations tedious. To alleviate this boredom and generate independent illicit income, he formed a burglary crew that became infamously known as the "Hole in the Wall Gang." This group specialized in drilling through exterior walls and ceilings to access high-value targets, earning their moniker from their distinctive entry methods. The gang's notoriety peaked during a botched robbery at Bertha's Gifts on July 4, 1981, which led to the arrest of several key members, including Spilotro's partner Frank Cullotta. While imprisoned, Cullotta was approached by the FBI and eventually became a government witness. His testimony revealed that Spilotro had orchestrated over 300 crimes, including multiple murders. Despite these damning admissions regarding his leadership role in the gang and specific orders to kill, Spilotro was acquitted of conspiracy charges in 1983, defended by future Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman.

Conflict with Chicago Leadership

Spilotro's tenure in Las Vegas was ultimately defined by his growing friction with the Chicago Outfit hierarchy. Although he managed the skim for casinos operated by Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Spilotro's independent actions and personal indiscretions, including an affair with Rosenthal's wife, alienated his superiors. The turning point arrived in January 1986 at a meeting held at the Czech Lodge in North Riverside, Illinois. Following the imprisonment of other key figures, Outfit boss Tony Accardo convened the leadership to address the deteriorating situation in Las Vegas. During this gathering, Samuel Carlisi was appointed as the new Street Boss and explicitly identified Spilotro as a liability who had mishandled operations. When mob enforcer Rocco Infelice suggested eliminating him, the room unanimously agreed to a contract on his life. This decision marked the end of Spilotro's reign in Vegas, leading directly to his replacement by Donald Angelini.

Murder and Legacy

On June 14, 1986, Anthony Spilotro and his brother Michael vanished after leaving their Oak Park home, never to be seen alive again. Days later, a farmer near Enos, Indiana, discovered freshly turned earth in a cornfield within the Willow Slough preserve, suspecting poaching activity. Upon investigation, authorities unearthed the bodies of both brothers, stripped to their undershorts and stacked one atop the other. An autopsy confirmed they had died from blunt force trauma on the day they disappeared, with dental records provided by their surviving brother Patrick confirming their identities. While initial reports suggested a beating in the field, later testimony indicated they may have been killed in a basement before being transported to Indiana. Spilotro's life and criminal empire were immortalized in Nicholas Pileggi's book "Casino," which served as the basis for Martin Scorsese's 1995 film, where he was portrayed as the volatile character Nicky Santoro.