Anthony Spilotro

Anthony John "The Ant" Spilotro (19 May 1938 – 14 June 1986) was an American enforcer for the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1970s and 1980s. His job was to oversee the American Mafia's casino skim, when some of the casinos were run by Frank Rosenthal. He was murdered in 1986.

Biography

Anthony John Spilotro was born in Chicago, Illinois on 19 May 1938, the son of two restauranteurs whose business was frequented by Mafia members. Spilotro and his brothers were involved in organized crime from a young age, and Spilotro became a made man in the Chicago Outfit in 1963. During the 1970s, he was sent to Las Vegas, Nevada to oversee the Mafia's casino skimming operation, working with his casino executive friend, Frank Rosenthal. In 1976, Spilotro, his brother Michael, and Frank Cullotta founded a burglary ring known as "The Hole in the Wall Gang", carrying out several high-end burglaries in Las Vegas. The ring came to an end after a failed burglary in 1981. By this time, relations between Spilotro and Rosenthal had deteriorated, as Spilotro had an affair with Rosenthal's wife Geri McGee. In 1983, after Cullotta turned states against Spilotro, Spilotro was tried for 22 murders; however, he was acquitted.

Death

Spilotro being buried alive

In January 1986, at a meeting of the Outfit leadership, Outfit boss Tony Accardo appointed Samuel Carlisi as the street boss of the Chicago Outfit to replace the imprisoned Joseph Aiuppa. Carlisi then went on to address a list of problems, the first being Spilotro and his reckless actions in Las Vegas. Everyone at the meeting agreed that he had to be "hit".

On 14 June 1986, Spilotro and his brother Michael drove away from Michael's Oak Park home in a 1986 Lincoln, heading to a meeting with Carlisi at Aiuppa's old hunting lodge. Frank Cullotta (who wanted no more of Spilotro's dirty work) and the rest of Spilotro's crew met with the Spilotros in an Illinois cornfield, where Cullotta caved in Spilotro's forehead with a baseball bat. The two brothers were savagely beaten with bats before being buried alive.

Gallery:

Anthony Spilotro's mugshot.

Tony Spilotro right before his death.

Anthony Spilotro and his lawyer Oscar Goodman.

Anthony Spilotro after a hearing in court.