Anthony John Spilotro (May 19, 1938 – June 14, 1986), nicknamed "Tony the Ant", was an American

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

and high-ranking member of the

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or the Organization, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Chicago, I ...

who operated in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

during the 1970s and '80s. Spilotro managed the Outfit's illegal

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

profits (the " skim") when four of the casinos, the

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

, the Fremont, the

Hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

and the

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

, were managed by Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, replacing Outfit member

John Roselli John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli (sometimes spelled Rosselli; born Filippo Sacco; July 4, 1905 – August 7, 1976) was an Italian-born mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization exert influence over Hollywood and the Las Vegas Str ...

. He was also the leader of the "Hole in the Wall Gang", a

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

crew he formed when he moved to Las Vegas in 1971. Spilotro eventually ran afoul of his superiors in Chicago over his handling of their Las Vegas concerns, and they arranged his murder on June 14, 1986. Spilotro's criminal career was detailed in

Nicholas Pileggi Nicholas Pileggi (, ; born February 22, 1933) is an American author and screenwriter. He wrote the 1985 non-fiction book ''Wiseguy (book), Wiseguy'' and co-wrote the screenplay for ''Goodfellas'', its 1990 film adaptation, for which he received ...

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

book ''Casino'', and served as the basis for the character Nicky Santoro in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

's adaptation of that book by the same name in 1995.

Early life

Anthony Spilotro was born on May 19, 1938, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, the fourth of six children to Pasquale "Patsy" Spilotro Sr. and Antoinette Spilotro. He attended Burbank Elementary School in his childhood and entered

Steinmetz High School Steinmetz College Prep (also known as Steinmetz High School or Steinmetz Academic Centre) is a public four-year high school located in the Belmont Cragin community area on the Northwest Side of Chicago, Illinois. Steinmetz is a part of the Chic ...

in 1953. Spilotro's father had emigrated from

Triggiano :''Not be confused with Tiggiano.'' Triggiano ( Barese: ) is a small town (''comune'') in the southern part of the Metropolitan City of Bari and region of Apulia, southern Italy. It lies a few miles inland from the port of Bari on the Adriatic S ...

Province of Bari The province of Bari (; ; ) was a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Bari. It has an area of , and a total population of 1,594,109 (2005). On 1 January 2015 it was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Bari. Lis ...

, Italy, and had arrived at

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

in 1914. Both parents ran Patsy's Restaurant, which was frequented by mobsters such as

Sam Giancana Salvatore "Mooney" Giancana ( ; born Gilormo Giangana, ; May 24, 1908 – June 19, 1975) was an American mobster who was boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957 to 1966. Giancana was born in Chicago to Italian immigrant parents. He joined the 42 ...

, Jackie "The Lackey" Cerone, Gus Alex and Francesco "Frank the Enforcer" Nitti. Spilotro and four of his brothers (John, Vincent, Victor and

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

) became involved in criminal activity starting at an early age; after the deaths of Spilotro and Michael, Victor would be inducted into the

a year later in 1987. The remaining brother, "Patrick" Pasquale Jr., became a dentist. Spilotro started his criminal career alongside his boyhood friend

Frank Cullotta Frank John Cullotta (December 14, 1938 – August 20, 2020) was an American mobster who was an associate of the Chicago Outfit through Tony Spilotro and a member of the Hole in the Wall Gang burglary ring in Las Vegas. After his arrest in 198 ...

, engaging in theft,

and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

. Spilotro was nicknamed "Tony the Ant" by the media after

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

Special Agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

William Roemer publicly referred to him as "that little

pissant A pissant, also seen as piss ant or piss-ant, refers to a specific type of ant. The word is also used as a pejorative noun or adjective, indicating insignificance. The original ''pissant'' is any of a certain group of large ant species, commonly ...

." Since the media could not use "pissant", they changed it to "the Ant".

The Hole in the Wall Gang

In 1971, Spilotro moved to

to help oversee the local concerns of the

, which controlled four

s on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

: the

, the Fremont, the

and the

. Bored with his new assignment, Spilotro formed a burglary crew later dubbed the "Hole in the Wall Gang." The crew got its name from its penchant for drilling through the exterior walls and ceilings of the locations they burgled. In early 1979, Cullotta moved to Las Vegas to join Spilotro. On July 4, 1981, the Hole in the Wall Gang robbed Bertha's Gifts & Home Furnishings on East Sahara Avenue. The robbery was a bust as much of the gang was arrested, including Cullotta, Joe Blasko, Leo Guardino, Ernest Davino, Lawrence Neumann and Wayne Matecki—each charged with burglary,

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

to commit burglary, attempted

grand larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

and possession of burglary tools. Around this time, Spilotro had an affair with

Geri McGee Geraldine "Geri" McGee (May 16, 1936 – November 9, 1982) was an American model and Las Vegas showgirl. Her involvement with casinos and criminal activity in Las Vegas, along with that of her husband Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, was chronicled in M ...

, the wife of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, whose casinos Spilotro had been sent to oversee. In 1982, Cullotta was imprisoned and approached by the FBI with a

wiretap Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connecti ...

of Spilotro talking with someone about "having to clean our dirty laundry", which Cullotta took as an insinuated contract on his life. Due to this, in July 1982, Cullotta finalized an agreement with the prosecutors. In September 1983, Spilotro was indicted for conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the Sherwin "Jerry" Lisner murder and released on $100,000 bail. At a trial in October 1983, Cullotta admitted that he was involved in over 300 crimes, including four murders, perjury, robberies, and burglaries. He also testified that Spilotro, his boss in Las Vegas, ordered him to make a telephone call that lured one of the 1962 murder victims, William McCarthy, to a fast food restaurant. McCarthy and James Miraglia were found dead in the trunk of a car on May 14, 1962. McCarthy's head had been placed in a

vise A vise or vice (British English) is a mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it. Vises have two parallel jaws, one fixed and the other movable, threaded in and out by a screw and lever. The jaws are ofte ...

and his throat slashed, while Miraglia was strangled. Spilotro was acquitted later that year. Spilotro's defense attorney was future Las Vegas mayor

Oscar Goodman Oscar Baylin Goodman (born July 26, 1939) is an American attorney and politician. A Democrat-turned- independent, Goodman was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. His wife, Carolyn Goodman, succeeded him as mayor in 2011. Early ...

Death and aftermath

Spilotro and his brother Michael disappeared on June 14, 1986, after they drove away together from Michael's Oak Park home. Michael's wife, Anne, reported both brothers missing on June 16. Michael's car, a 1986 Lincoln, was recovered several days later in a motel parking lot near

O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, Loop business district. The airport is ope ...

. On June 22, their bodies were found, one on top of the other and stripped down to their undershorts, buried in a cornfield in the Willow Slough preserve near

Enos, Indiana Enos is an unincorporated community in McClellan Township, Newton County, in the U.S. state of Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to ...

. The freshly turned earth had been noticed by a farmer who thought that the remains of a deer killed out of season had been buried there by a

poacher Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunti ...

and notified authorities. An

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

completed on June 24 identified their cause of death as

blunt force trauma A blunt trauma, also known as a blunt force trauma or non-penetrating trauma, is a physical trauma due to a forceful impact without penetration of the body's surface. Blunt trauma stands in contrast with penetrating trauma, which occurs when an ...

, and ascertained that they had been dead since June 14. They were identified by dental charts supplied by their dentist brother, Patrick Spilotro. The two were buried in a family plot at

Queen of Heaven Cemetery Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * ...

Hillside, Illinois Hillside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 8,320. It is a suburb of Chicago. Geography Hillside is located at (41.874797, −87.900372). According to the 2021 census gazetteer fi ...

, on June 27. The Spilotro brothers' fate had been sealed in January 1986. In the wake of the imprisonment of Joseph Aiuppa and John Cerone for skimming Las Vegas casino profits, a meeting was held that month at the Czech Lodge in

North Riverside, Illinois North Riverside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,426. Geography North Riverside is located at (41.846222, -87.829585). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, North ...

. Most of the 'upper echelon' were there, including Outfit boss Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo. Accardo decided to appoint

Samuel Carlisi Samuel A. Carlisi (December 15, 1921 – January 2, 1997), also known as "Black Sam" and "Sam Wings", was an American mobster who was the boss of the Chicago Outfit criminal organization between 1989 and 1996. Hillel Levin of ''Chicago'' magazin ...

as the "Street Boss" in charge of Outfit operations to replace Aiuppa. Carlisi told the group that Accardo would stay on as ''

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

'' and would have the final say, as well as Gus Alex staying head of the connection guys. He then went on to the first problem: Spilotro, and how things had gone down since he took over Vegas. Mobster and mob enforcer Rocco Infelice said, "Hit him." Everyone else at the meeting agreed. After his murder, Spilotro was replaced in Las Vegas by Donald "The Wizard of Odds" Angelini. Although the original reports stated the Spilotros were beaten and buried in the Enos, Indiana cornfield, mobster

Nicholas Calabrese Nicholas W. Calabrese (November 30, 1942 – March 13, 2023) was an American mob hitman, best known for being a made man who testified against the Chicago Outfit. His testimony and cooperation with federal prosecutors helped result in the 2007 ...

testified at the " Operation Family Secrets" in 2007 that the brothers were killed in a

Bensenville, Illinois Bensenville is a village located near O'Hare International Airport in DuPage County, Illinois, with a portion of the town in Cook County. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 18,813. First known as Tioga, it was formally establishe ...

, basement, where the Spilotros believed Michael would be inducted into The Outfit, then their bodies were transported to the cornfield. According to court testimony, when Tony entered the basement and realized what was about to occur, he asked if he could "say a prayer". No arrests were made until April 25, 2005, when 14 members of the Chicago Outfit (including reputed boss

James Marcello James J. Marcello (born December 13, 1943), also known variously as "Little Jimmy", "Jimmy Light" and as "Jimmy the Man", is an American crime boss who was the boss for the Chicago Outfit criminal organization during the early and mid 2000s. Org ...

) were indicted for 18 murders, including the Spilotros'. The suspected murderers included ''capo''

Albert Tocco Albert "Caesar" Tocco (August 9, 1929 – September 21, 2005) was an American mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit during the 1970s and 1980s. He was the mob boss of Chicago Heights, the south suburbs, and parts of Northern India ...

from

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A south suburb of Chicago, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its nicknames include "The Cro ...

, who was sentenced to 200 years in prison in 1990, after his wife testified against him. She testified that, in 1986, she drove her husband from an Indiana cornfield where he told her he had just buried Spilotro. On May 18, 2007, the star witness in the government's case against the 14 Chicago mob figures,

, pleaded guilty to taking part in a conspiracy that included 18 murders. Under heavy security, Calabrese admitted that he took part in planning or carrying out 14 of the murders including the Spilotro killings. He became the key witness against his brother, Frank Calabrese Sr., and other major mob figures charged in the government's Family Secrets Trial. Calabrese agreed to testify after the FBI showed him

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

evidence linking him to the murder of fellow hit-man John Fecarotta who was also allegedly involved in the Spilotro slayings. In September 2007 Frank Calabrese Sr. and four other men—Marcello,

Joseph Lombardo Joseph Patrick Lombardo (born Giuseppe Lombardi; January 1, 1929 – October 19, 2019), also known as "Joey the Clown", was an American mobster and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization. He was the ''Consigliere'' of th ...

, Paul "The Indian" Schiro, and former Chicago police officer Anthony "Twan" Doyle—were convicted of mob-related crimes. On September 27, 2007, Marcello was found guilty by a federal jury in the murders of both Spilotro brothers. On February 5, 2009, Marcello was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

for the Spilotro murders, and United States District Judge

James Zagel James Block Zagel (March 4, 1941 – July 15, 2023) was an American judge and attorney. After a stint as a prosecutor, he became a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1987, as ...

, agreeing with the presentation made by federal prosecutor Markus Funk, also found Marcello responsible for the D'Andrea murder as well even though the jury had deadlocked on that count. On March 26, 2009, Nicholas Calabrese was sentenced to 12 years and four months imprisonment. In a 2010 interview with ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

'' magazine, while promoting the opening of the Las Vegas Mob Experience at the Tropicana Hotel, Tony Spilotro's son Vincent claimed that the real target of those who killed the Spilotro brothers was Michael Spilotro, and that Tony was killed to prevent any revenge.

Suspect in gangland slayings

By the time of his death in 1986, the FBI suspected Spilotro was involved in 22 or 25 murders, including those of: *

Sam DeStefano Samuel "Mad Sam" DeStefano (September 13, 1909 − April 14, 1973) was an American mobster who was associated with the Chicago Outfit. He was one of the organization's most notorious loan sharks and Psychopathy, sociopathic killers. Chicago-bas ...

on April 14, 1973. * former Chicago Outfit boss

on June 19, 1975. * William McCarthy and James Miraglia. * William "Action" Jackson.

In popular culture

In the 1980s

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

series '' Crime Story'', the character of mobster Ray Luca is based on Anthony Spilotro. Show creator

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...

said in a 2015 interview "The people who Crime Story is about are all people I knew. I went to high school with Tony Spilotro..."

's film ''

Casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

'' (1995) is based on the Las Vegas careers of Spilotro and

Rosenthal Rosenthal is a German and Jewish surname meaning "rose valley". The Lithuanized form is Rosenthalis. Notable people with the name include: A * Abe M. Rosenthal (1922–2006), ''New York Times'' editor and columnist * Albert Rosenthal (1863– ...

, on whom the characters Nicholas "Nicky" Santoro (played by

Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for portraying tough, volatile characters, in a variety of genres, and for his collaborations with his best friend, Robert De Niro in the films ' ...

) and Sam "Ace" Rothstein (played by

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

) were based. Nearing the end of the film, Nicky and his brother Dominick ( Philip Suriano), based on Tony's brother

Michael Spilotro Michael Peter "Micky" Spilotro (September 12, 1944 – June 14, 1986) was the younger brother of Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and was an associate of the Chicago organized crime organization referred to as " The Outfit". Family background Mi ...

, are shown being beaten with metal baseball bats (Nicky's skull being fractured in the process) and then buried alive in an Indiana cornfield by their associate Frank Marino (

Frank Vincent Frank Vincent Gattuso Jr. (April 15, 1937 – September 13, 2017) was an American actor and musician. Known for often portraying violent mobsters and criminals, he was a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Martin Scorsese, appearing as Salvy in ' ...

), based on Frank Cullotta, and the rest of Nicky's crew.

References

External links

Anthony "Tony" Spilotro Archives

by Robert C. Herguth
Anthony "Tony The Ant" Spilotoro's FBI File

The Free Information Society – Biography
*
FBI file on Anthony Spilotro
on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spilotro, Anthony 1938 births 1980s missing person cases 1986 deaths 1986 murders in the United States American burglars Chicago Outfit mobsters Deaths by beating in the United States Formerly missing American people Missing person cases in Illinois Murdered Chicago Outfit members Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent American people acquitted of murder People from Oak Park, Illinois People murdered by the Chicago Outfit People murdered in Illinois People of Apulian descent