Frank Cullotta

Frank Cullotta
Born	Frank Cullotta (1938-12-14)December 14, 1938 Chicago Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Enforcer Earner

Frank Cullota also known as "The Las Vegas boss" was an enforcer for the Chicago Outfit and was a good friend of notorious mobster Tony Spilotro.

Early life

Cullota was born on December 14, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. He entered Steinmetz High School in 1953. He began his decades-long criminal career as a teenager, graduating from petty theft to burglary, armed robbery, arson and murder.

Sherwin "Jerry" Lisner Murder

On October 10, 1979, Cullotta murdered Sherwin "Jerry" Lisner, for providing information to the police regarding crimes that Tony Spilotro and he had committed. Cullotta asked Spilotro to ask his superiors for permission to commit the murder. Cullotta enlisted the help of his friend Wayne Matecki from Chicago, who flew over to assist Cullotta with Lisner's murder. Cullotta called Lisner and told him that he had to talk to him alone, and Lisner invited him over to his house. Cullotta went inside while Matecki waited in the car. Cullotta began talking to Lisner inside the house and then attempted to move him away from the front door by getting him to inspect a strange noise. Cullotta then shot Lisner in the back of the head twice with a .22 caliber handgun. A chase then ensued through the house. Cullotta then got on top of Lisner, and Lisner claimed his wife knew that Cullotta had come to visit. Cullotta attempted to strangle Lisner with the cable of a water cooler, but the cable eventually snapped. By this time Matecki had come inside, most likely to investigate what was taking so long. Matecki held a couch pillow over Lisner's head while Cullotta reloaded the gun: Cullotta then emptied the handgun into Lisner's head. Cullotta and Matecki then proceeded to dump Lisner's body in the pool located in the backyard. They then went back inside and cleaned all the blood off the furniture and floor, after which they searched the house for documents containing Cullotta and Spilotro's names, as well as security cameras and recorders, of which they found none. Matecki then flew back to Chicago the same night.

Hole in the Wall Gang

In 1979, Anthony Spilotro started a crew of thieves and murderers, including Wayne Matecki, Laurence Neumann, Ernie Devino, and Leo Cardino. Frank Cullotta was the leader that operated in Las Vegas. The crew became known as the Hole in the Wall Gang because of its members' technique to gain entry by smashing a hole through the exterior walls and ceilings of buildings they burglarized. The gang committed many burglaries and made large amounts of money through stolen items. In 1981, following a botched burglary at Bertha’s Antique store, Cullotta, Matecki and several other members of the Hole in the Wall Gang were arrested and each charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted grand larceny, and possession of burglary tools. Cullotta entered the federal witness protection program in early 1982 and admitted to the FBI that he had arranged the murders of James Miraglia and Billy McCarthy, known as the "M&M Murders", on behalf of Tony Spilotro. Cullotta also admitted to the 1979 murder of Sherwin Lisner, and provided them with information regarding other burglaries. By this time, Cullotta and Spilotro’s friendship was already on bad terms because Spilotro had become very paranoid. At one time, Spilotro made them strip and enter a jacuzzi, and furnished them swim suits to check if they were wired. The Las Vegas authorities discovered that Spilotro was aware Cullotta had provided the FBI with information regarding the M&M Murders and various other crimes. Spilotro ordered Laurence Neumann (a member of the Hole in The Wall Gang) to kill Ernie Fevino. In September 1983, Spilotro was indicted on murder and racketeering charges, with Cullotta being the key witness; however, Spilotro was acquitted of the charges (the trial judge was later convicted for taking bribes, in 1992). Neumann was also tried and was given life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder. In November 1983, stolen property was discovered at Cullotta's home and he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment.

Murder of Anthony and Michael Spilotro

In 1986, Chicago Outfit boss Joseph Aiuppa arranged to have Spilotro murdered for causing trouble and attracting unwanted attention from the authorities. On 14 June 1986, a meeting was held at the Czech Lodge in North Riverside. Spilotro and his brother Michael attended the meeting, where they were led to the basement. They saw several men in workmen’s outfits and gloves and realized they were going to be murdered and asked if they could pray. The Spilotros were beaten to death, and their bodies were taken to a cornfield in Enos, Indiana where they were buried. It is believed that part of the reason for the killings was to get money from Tony Spilotro.

Life after crime

Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino is based on the lives of Spilotro and Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal as portrayed in the book Casino by Nicholas Pileggi (1995). Cullota—renamed "Frank Marino"—was portrayed by actor Frank Vincent in the film. He was hired as a technical advisor for the movie; he also played a role as a hitman who carries out several murders, one of which is similar to the 1979 murder of Sherwin Lisner. Cullota is now an accomplished author, having written Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness. He has also done several documentaries. In 2011, he co-hosted AMC Mob Month alongside Henry Hill, and was inducted into the Mob Museum in Las Vegas in 2012. Cullotta is known for being an underworld historian and a true expert on organized crime.