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Anthony John Spilotro (May 19, 1938 – June 14, 1986), nicknamed "Tony the Ant", was an American mobster and high ranking member for the Chicago Outfit 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 Rosenthal, replacing Outfit member John Roselli in Las Vegas. He was the leader of the "Hole in the Wall Gang", which he formed in Las Vegas when he moved there in 1971.
Spilotro eventually ran afoul of his organized crime overseers who disapproved of his handling of their Las Vegas affairs, and who then arranged his murder on June 14, 1986. Spilotro served as the basis for the character Nicky Santoro in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino
Offered is an original TYPE 1 photo that derives from the family of Spilotro.
You can read more about his life on the Mob Museum website
Offered is an original TYPE 1 photo that derives from the family of Spilotro.
This photo measures 5” x 7” in size and shows a young Tony Spilotro (circa mid to late 1960s) with his wife Nancy and another couple - James Vincent “Turk” Torello (D. 1979) and his wife Doodles.
In the late 1960s, Torello sent Robert "Bobby the Beak" Siegel to Las Vegas to help collect $87,000 from an associate of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, the Outfit agent at the Stardust Hotel & Casino.
On another occasion, an angry mob boss Sam Giancana dispatched Torello and mobster Jackie Cerone to kill Outfit member Frank Esposito, in Florida. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) secretly recorded Giancana's conversation and warned Esposito. He then settled his dispute with Giancana and the hit was canceled. According to tape recordings, Torello and his killers had planned to murder Esposito, cut him up in small pieces and feed them to the sharks off the Florida coast.
By the early 1970s, Torello had become a high-ranking member within the Outfit, rising to the position of Capo with the South Side/26th Street Crew). In 1973, with the death of Fiore "Fifi" Buccieri, Torello became the Outfit's chief enforcer. He also became involved in loan sharking, illegal gambling and pornography.
One of a kind historical Mobster memorabilia.
and if you’d like to see Joe Pesci’s portrayal of him in the movie, Casino
Casino | "Meeting in the Desert Always Made Me Nervous"
Item: 13486
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