Anthony 'the Ant' Spilotro

Anthony John Spilotro, nicknamed 'The Ant', was an American mobster and enforcer for the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas during the 1970s and 1980s. He managed the Outfit's illegal casino profits with Frank Rosenthal. Spilotro eventually ran afoul of his organized crime bosses who disapproved of his handling of their Las Vegas affairs. They arranged his murder in 1986.

Spilotro was the leader of the "Hole in the Wall Gang", which he formed in Las Vegas.

Frank Cullotta, a former mobster turned government witness died of COVID-19 this year at 81. Cullotta arrived in Vegas in 1979 after he killed an associate. Cullotta joined the Hole in the Wall gang, which gained entry by drilling through walls and ceilings.

While in prison, Cullotta agreed to testify against Spilotro, who was indicted for conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

In 1981, Cullotta and five others were busted after a robbery and charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted grand larceny and possession of burglary tools. Cullotta was given immunity, but served eight years in prison before being paroled into witness protection when Spilotro was acquitted in 1984.

Spilotro and his brother Michael disappeared June 14, 1986. On June 22, their bodies were found, one on top of the other and clad only in undershorts, buried under 5 feet of wet dirt in a muddy grave. At the time of his death the FBI suspected Spilotro was responsible for at least 22 murders.

Chicago mob capo Joey “The Clown” Lombardo died in prison at age 90 last year. He was serving a life sentence after being convicted in the Operation Family Secrets trial in 2007. Operation Family Secrets took down mob boss James Marcello and decimated The Outfit. The prosecution’s star witness was Nicholas Calabrese, a hit man who took the stand against his brother to spell out the crimes, one by one. The jury heard explicit details on 18 unsolved killings, including the beating death and burial of Tony 'The Ant' Spilotro.