Anthony Spilotro | |
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![]() A 1974 FBI mugshot of Spilotro | |
Born | Anthony John Spilotro May 19, 1938 |
Disappeared | June 14, 1986 (aged 48) |
Died | June 14, 1986 Bensenville, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 48)
Cause of death | Blunt force trauma, asphyxia |
Body discovered | June 22, 1986 Enos, Indiana, U.S. |
Resting place | Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois, U.S. |
Other names | "Tony the Ant" |
Spouse | Nancy Spilotro |
Relatives | Vincent, Victor, Pasquale, Michael and John (brothers) |
Allegiance | Chicago Outfit |
Anthony John Spilotro (May 19, 1938 – June 14, 1986), nicknamed "Tony the Ant", was an American mobster and high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit who operated in Las Vegas during the 1970s and '80s. Spilotro managed the Outfit's illegal casino profits (the "skim") when four of the casinos, the Stardust, the Fremont, the Hacienda and the Marina, were managed by Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, replacing Outfit member John Roselli.[1] He was also the leader of the "Hole in the Wall Gang", a burglary 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's true crime book Casino, and served as the basis for the character Nicky Santoro in Martin Scorsese's adaptation of that book by the same name in 1995.[2]