Anthony Spilotro FBI Files

Description

The Reign and Fall of Anthony Spilotro

• 1968 – 1993: The FBI maintains files on Anthony “The Ant” Spilotro, chronicling his involvement in organized crime.
• 1970s – Early 1980s: Anthony Spilotro is a key enforcer for the Chicago Outfit, overseeing criminal operations in Southern California and Las Vegas, particularly bookmaking and loansharking.
• Late 1970s – Early 1980s: An interstate transportation of stolen goods investigation and prosecution involves Anthony Spilotro.
• 1979: Anthony Spilotro faces civil rights charges in a contract killing of a government informant.
• Early 1980s: Anthony Spilotro’s power within the Chicago Crime Syndicate diminishes due to a series of legal battles, including burglary, racketeering, and conspiracy charges in a Las Vegas U.S. District Court.
• 1986 (Pre-June): Several individuals allegedly under Anthony Spilotro’s control testify against Chicago Crime Syndicate leaders during their Kansas City racketeering trial.
• June 1986: Anthony Spilotro and his brother, Michael Spilotro, are murdered in a gangland-style slaying and buried in an Indiana cornfield. Possible motives include a feud with Joseph Ferriola and the Chicago Crime Syndicate’s dissatisfaction with Spilotro’s performance in Las Vegas.
• 1990: Albert Tocco, a high-ranking Chicago Outfit member, is sentenced to 200 years in prison. His wife provides testimony that she drove her husband from the Indiana cornfield where he claimed to have just buried the Spilotro brothers.
• 2007 (Pre-September): Nicholas Calabrese becomes a government witness against 14 Chicago mob figures, pleading guilty to involvement in a conspiracy that included 18 murders, among them the killings of Anthony and Michael Spilotro.
• September 2007: Frank Calabrese, Sr. (Nicholas’s brother), James Marcello, Joseph Lombardo, Paul “The Indian” Schiro, and Anthony “Twan” Doyle are convicted of mob-related crimes.
• September 27, 2007: James Marcello is found guilty by a federal jury for the murders of both Anthony and Michael Spilotro.
• February 5, 2009: James Marcello is sentenced to life imprisonment.

Cast of Characters

• Anthony “The Ant” Spilotro: A notorious La Cosa Nostra enforcer and key figure in organized crime in the 1970s and 1980s. Sent to Las Vegas by the Chicago Outfit to oversee criminal operations, including bookmaking and loansharking. He was the model for Joe Pesci’s character, Nicky Santoro, in the film “Casino.” He was murdered in June 1986.
• Michael Spilotro: Brother of Anthony Spilotro, also a victim of the gangland-style slaying in June 1986.
• Frank Lawrence “Lefty” Rosenthal: A professional sports bettor, former Las Vegas casino executive, and organized crime associate. The character Sam “Ace” Rothstein in the film “Casino” is based on him. His FBI files contain cross-references related to his association with Anthony Spilotro.
• Joey Aiuppa: A leader of the Chicago Outfit, under whom Anthony Spilotro operated and watched over much of the Syndicate’s criminal operations.
• Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno: An individual whom Anthony Spilotro allegedly planned to kill, as discovered in FBI memos.
• Joseph Ferriola: An Outfit member with whom Anthony Spilotro possibly had a feud, cited as a potential motive for Spilotro’s murder.
• Albert Tocco: A high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit who was sentenced to 200 years in prison in 1990. His wife testified that he buried the Spilotro brothers.
• Nicholas Calabrese: A mob hitman who became a government witness in 2007, pleading guilty to involvement in 18 murders, including those of the Spilotro brothers.
• Frank Calabrese, Sr.: Brother of Nicholas Calabrese, convicted of mob-related crimes in September 2007.
• James Marcello: Chicago Outfit boss, convicted in September 2007 for mob-related crimes and specifically found guilty of the murders of the Spilotro brothers on September 27, 2007. Sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2009.
• Joseph Lombardo: Convicted of mob-related crimes in September 2007.
• Paul “The Indian” Schiro: Convicted of mob-related crimes in September 2007.
• Anthony “Twan” Doyle: Former Chicago police officer, convicted of mob-related crimes in September 2007.

Anthony Spilotro FBI Files

927 pages of FBI files covering Anthony “The Ant” Spilotro. La Cosa Nostra enforcer Anthony Spilotro was well known for his involvement in organized crime in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Spilotro was the model for Joe Pesci’s character, Nicky Santoro, in the Martin Scorsese film “Casino,” (1995) starring Robert De Niro.

Files contain approximately 800 narrative pages dating from 1968 to 1993. Memos show FBI discovery of plans by Spilotro to kill Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno. Files contain information about a late 70’s, early 80’s interstate transportation of stolen goods investigation and prosecution.

Files contain 80 pages of cross refences from the FBI files of Frank Rosenthal related to his association with Anthony Spilotro.

Frank Lawrence “Lefty” Rosenthal (1929 – 2008) was a professional sports bettor, former Las Vegas casino executive, and organized crime associate. The film Casino, co-written by Nicholas Pileggi from his biography Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, is largely based on Rosenthal’s time in Las Vegas. Robert DeNiro’s character Sam “Ace” Rothstein is based on Rosenthal.

Tony “The Ant” Spilotro was sent to Las Vegas by the Chicago branch of La Cosa Nostra, known as the “Outfit,” after proving his skills at conducting mob business. Often with the use of an ice pick or the placing of someone’s head in a vise.

Under Joey Aiuppa, a leader of the Chicago Outfit, Spilotro had watched over much of the Syndicate’s criminal operations during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Spilotro led a cadre of key Outfit personnel in Southern California and Las Vegas who were heavily involved in bookmaking and loansharking.

In the early 1980’s  Spilotro’s power and  influence in  the Chicago Crime Syndicate  eroded because of a series of legal battles. In a Las Vegas U. S. District Court, Spilotro faced burglary, racketeering and conspiracy charges. In another case, he faced civil rights charges in a 1979 contract killing of a government informant.

In June 1986, he and his brother Michael Spilotro were victims of a gangland-style slaying and were buried in an Indiana cornfield.

There are several possible motives behind Spilotro’s murder, including a possible feud between Anthony Spilotro and Outfit member Joseph Ferriola, and the Chicago Crime Syndicate’s dissatisfaction with Spilotro’s performance in Las Vegas. In addition, several people allegedly under Spilotro’s control, testified against the Chicago Crime Syndicate’s leaders during their Kansas City racketeering trial that ended in 1986.

In 1990, Albert Tocco, a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit  was sentenced to 200 years in prison. His wife testified that she drove her husband from an Indiana cornfield where he told her he had just buried Spilotro.

In 2007, mob hitman Nicholas Calabrese became a government witness against 14 Chicago mob figures. Calabrese , pleaded guilty to taking part in a conspiracy that included 18 murders, including the killings Anthony and Michael Spilotro. In September 2007, Frank Calabrese, Sr., the brother of Nicholas and four other men, Chicago Outfit boss James Marcello, Joseph Lombardo, 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.