who was tony spilotro's lawyer?

What did Anthony Spilotro do?

May 23, 2016 · Spilotro’s attorney, Oscar Goodman, attended the funeral and noted the absence of several Outfit bosses for whom Spilotro had worked. “That said a lot to me about who was behind Tony’s murder,”...

How old is Tony Spilotro?

Aug 29, 2020 · Oscar Goodman, the mafia lawyer who runs Las Vegas, details his infamous interactions with famous mobsters.Get Oscar’s book ‘From Mob Lawyer To Mayor Of Las ...

What happened to Tony Spilotro in Las Vegas?

Aug 22, 2014 · Early Life. Born Anthony John Spilotro on May 19, 1938, in a tough neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, Tony Spilotro was one of six children, all …

What was Tony Spilotro ever found guilty of?

Jan 19, 2017 · Tony "The Ant" Spilotro also served as inspiration for Casino-- in a role played by Joe Pesci. He was accused of murdering 26 people by Las Vegas law enforcement. He was accused of murdering 26 ...

See more

However, the court found that Metro had overstepped its authority in the raid and prosecution, and Spilotro, with the help of defense attorney Oscar Goodman, beat the indictment. The heat, however, was on.

Who is Frank Cullotta?

Frank Cullotta is a living link to Tony Spilotro. They were teenage friends in Chicago and committed crimes together there for several years. In 1979, Spilotro summoned Cullotta to Las Vegas to serve as his criminal lieutenant. Cullotta put together a crew that became known as the Hole in the Wall Gang.

Who is Geoff Schumacher?

Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman’s Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas (2003) Geoff Schumacher is the director of content for the Mob Museum and the author of Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas.

What is the Chicago mob called?

In Chicago, the mob is called the Outfit . It’s not the Mafia or the Syndicate or the Combination. If you pay even passing attention to mob history and legend, when you see the phrase “the Outfit,” you know it’s a reference to traditional organized crime in Chicago.

How long did the mob run in Las Vegas?

Thirty years ago, the murder of the charismatic Vegas mobster marked the final act in the mob’s 40-year run in Las Vegas — but not the end of its lore

How many murders did the Chicago Outfit commit?

In 2005, the feds indicted 14 members and associates of the Chicago Outfit, charging them with, among other offenses, 18 murders. This was the so-called Family Secrets case. Just as Roemer, Smith, Goodman and others suspected in 1986, the Chicago bosses had decided it was time for Tony and Michael Spilotro to go.

Who was Tony Spilotro?

Tony Spilotro is best known as a ruthless Chicago mob representative in Las Vegas from the 1970s to the '80s. He was brutally beaten and murdered by other mobsters in 1986.

Where was Tony Spilotro born?

Born Anthony John Spilotro on May 19, 1938, in a tough neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, Tony Spilotro was one of six children, all boys: Vincent, Victor, Patrick, Johnny and Michael. His parents, Pasquale and Antoinette Spilotro, were Italian immigrants who ran an eatery, Patsy's Restaurant. It was through his family's business ...

What was the first move Spilotro made?

Spilotro's first move was to require all criminals to pay a street tax to continue doing business. If they didn't pay, they were threatened with death. Indeed, homicides in Las Vegas increased after Spilotro's arrival. Spilotro's next move came in 1976, when he opened his jewelry and electronics store, The Gold Rush, in partnership with his brother, Michael, and one of his lieutenant's, Chicago bookmaker Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein. The Gold Rush sold both stolen and legitimate goods. Spilotro had to be careful when it came to what was sold in the store. He avoided selling items that were stolen in Las Vegas lest the rightful owner came into the store and saw them. He also correctly suspected that the FBI had bugged the store and so he needed to be careful when speaking on the phone.

Who was the boss of the Chicago underworld?

By 1962, Spilotro had befriended several influential members of the Chicago underworld, including Vincent "the Saint" Inserro, Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo and mob boss Joseph "Joey Doves" Aiuppa. Spilotro joined Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano's crew that same year. DeStefano was considered too unpredictable and undisciplined to ever be considered for real leadership, but his violent and sadistic nature was highly sought after by his bosses as a way to spread fear and terror. Even law enforcement was leery of him.

Who killed Billy McCarthy?

Through DeStefano's guidance, Spilotro finally earned a contract to murder Billy McCarthy and Jimmy Miraglia, two 24-year-old burglars known as the M&M Boys. The victims had killed two thieves in Elmwood Park, a neighborhood where many crime bosses lived and thus considered “off-limits” by the Chicago Mob, who were known as The Outfit. Wanting to send a message about this violation of their space, Spilotro tortured the men before killing them. In an infamous interrogation technique to get McCarthy to reveal the whereabouts of Miraglia, Spilotro and his thugs stuck McCarthy's head in a vice until the victim's eye popped out. Their maggot-covered corpses with throats slit were found by authorities in the trunk of a car on Chicago's South side later that year and the case was dubbed "The M&M Murders."

Who was the FBI witness for Spilotro?

In November 1963, the FBI managed to turn Charles "Chuckie" Grimaldi, a former member of DeStefano's crew, into a federal witness. Grimaldi testified against Spilotro and DeStefano during the murder trial of Leo Foreman, a loan collector who had made the mistake of throwing DeStefano out of his office in May of that year.

Who replaced Marshall Caifano?

Spilotro continued to gain fame throughout the syndicate as both an earner and enforcer, and, by 1971, Spilotro was tapped by Aiuppa to replace Marshall Caifano as the mob's representative in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Who played Ant in Casino?

Tony "The Ant" Spilotro also served as inspiration for Casino -- in a role played by Joe Pesci. He was accused of murdering 26 people by Las Vegas law enforcement. "And yet -- they never convicted him of anything," says Goodman.

Who was the head of the Philadelphia mob?

Goodman also represented the head of the Philadelphia mob, "Little Nicky" Scarfo ("You weren't allowed to call him Little Nicky") and his nephew, "Crazy" Phil Leonetti ("You weren't allowed to call him Crazy Phil") in a murder trial, in which the they tried to kill the victim 13 times.

Who owns the Tower of Pizza?

That included Jasper Speciale, who co-owned the Tower of Pizza -- a restaurant that served as a mobster hangout and bookmaking operation. "Although he was married, Jasper took a liking to this young lady. She was gorgeous," remembers Goodman, who was asked by Speciale to represent the woman in Washington.

Does Oscar Goodman wear the tag "mob lawyer"?

Oscar Goodman has no problem with the tag "mob lawyer" when running down his resume. "I wear it with a badge of honor" he says. "These fellows I represented could afford any lawyer in the country -- and they chose me. So I'm certainly not apologetic."

Who was Anthony Spilotro?

Anthony Spilotro was a soldier and enforcer for the Chicago Outfit who was assigned to protect the Las Vegas “skim”: the illegal diversion of casino profits to the Mob. However, Spilotro’s violent extracurricular activities, as documented in the movie Casino, hastened the demise of the Mob’s influence in Las Vegas.

How many murders did Spilotro commit?

The FBI estimated that Spilotro, a high school dropout who was first arrested at the age of 17 for shoplifting in Chicago, was responsible for nearly two dozen murders in Illinois and Nevada. Spilotro grew up among mobsters in the Chicago area, and four of his five brothers were involved in various criminal activities.

Overview

The Hole in the Wall Gang

In 1971, Spilotro moved to Las Vegas to manage the affairs of the Chicago Outfit there. He formed the "Hole in the Wall" Gang, a group of experienced thieves, safecrackers and killers. The crew became known in the media as the "Hole in the Wall Gang" because of its penchant for gaining entry to homes and buildings by drilling through the exterior walls and ceilings of the locations they burglarized. In early 1979, Frank Cullotta moved to Las Vegas to join Spilotro.

Early life

Death and aftermath

Suspect in gangland slayings

In popular culture

See also

Further reading