He formed the 'Hole in the Wall' Gang, a group of experienced thieves, safecrackers and killers. In 1971, Spilotro moved to Las Vegas to manage the affairs of the Chicago Outfit there. He was nicknamed 'Tony the Ant' by the media after FBI Special Agent William Roemer referred to Spilotro as 'that little pissant.' Since the media couldn't use 'pissant', they shortened it to the 'Ant'. Spilotro was a boyhood friend of Frank Cullotta, and started a criminal career together as teenagers, engaging in theft, burglary, and murder. The remaining brother, 'Patrick' Pasquale Jr., became a dentist. Tony and four of his brothers, (John, Vincent, Victor, and Michael) became involved in criminal activity starting at an early age after Tony and Michael's death, his brother Victor would be inducted into the Outfit a year later in 1987. He and his mother ran Patsy's Restaurant, which was frequented by mobsters such as Sam Giancana, Jackie 'The Lackey' Cerone, Gus Alex, and Francesco 'Frank the Enforcer' Nitti. His father had emigrated from Triggiano, Province of Bari, Italy, and had arrived at Ellis Island in 1914.

He attended Burbank Elementary School, and entered Steinmetz High School in 1953. Spilotro was born in Chicago, Illinois, the fourth of six children to Pasquale 'Patsy' Spilotro Sr. Spilotro served as the basis for the character Nicky Santoro in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. 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. He was the leader of the 'Hole in the Wall Gang', which he formed in Las Vegas when he moved there in 1971.

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. Vincent, Victor, Pasquale, Michael and John (brothers)Īnthony John Spilotro (– 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. Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois, U.S.

Casino nicky quotes