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Gangland Wire

Frank Cullotta and Tony Spilotro Part 1

Gangland Wire

Gary Jenkins: Mafia Detective

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.6623 Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2017

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How Frank Cullotta met Tony Spilotro In this first of a 2 part interview of Frank Cullotta, we talk to a guy who was a career criminal from his teenage years and rose through the ranks of the Chicago Outfit from being an associate who made money as a burglar to becoming a “Mustache” or a “guy” in Tony Spilotro’s crew. If Spilotro was the boss of the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas, then Frank was his Underboss. Frank came up on the west side of Chicago and first met Tony when they were 12 years old. Joey Aiuppa sent Tony Spilotro out to Las Vegas to monitor Lefty Rosenthal’s activities when he needed a backup, he called Frank Cullotta. Spilotro, Culotta and others at the Upper Crust Spilotro and Mad Sam Destefano Frank tells how the Chicago outfit placed Tony Spilotro with the vicious Outfit Associate, Mad Sam DisteFano to learn the loan sharking business and to keep an eye on Outfit money invested with Mad Sam. When I mentioned that I heard that Spilotro and Mad Sam’s brother killed Mad Sam, Frank hints that he will reveal the details of Mad Sam’s murder in his new book. Tony Spilotro made Frank the boss of his “Hole in the Wall Gang.” This was a crew of professional criminals who participated in many “high end” home and business burglaries in southern Nevada and Arizona. Frank shares the story of his relationship with Spilotro and some of the crimes that Spilotro committed. Frank reveals the real story behind the famous torture scene in the film, Casino, where the Joe Pesci character is tightening a vise on a man’s head. https://youtu.be/3-d5yU-aQ34 He has co-authored 3 books with famous mob author, Dennis Griffin. His most recent is The Rise and Fall of a Casino Mobster.     To learn more about Frank’s Las Vegas tour click here. Don’t forget to listen to Aaron on the Big Dumb Fun Show, live on Monday nights. To go to the store click here To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary, click here To subscribe on iTunes click here, give me a review and I will send you a link to see the film for free.

Transcript

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0:00.0

What do you do for a levy?

0:03.0

I invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and declined to answer the question.

0:12.0

Former Kansas City Police Department Intelligence Detective and now attorney Gary Jenkins produced four documentary films, most recently Gangland Wire,

0:25.6

creator of smartphone app entitled Kansas City Mob Tours. Download it now. If you like what you hear, go to ganglandwire.com.

0:36.6

Navigate to the shop page.

0:38.5

We need you to put a hit out on our donate button.

0:43.3

Gangland Wire True Crime Stories is produced at the Big Dumb Fun Show Studio 4.

0:50.7

And now here's Gary Jenkins.

0:57.0

Well, good evening, folks.

0:58.5

Welcome to the beautiful ice house in Midtown, Kansas City.

1:03.2

The studios of the Big Dumb Fun Show.

1:05.6

I'm here with my good friend and co-host, Aaron.

1:07.5

Say hello, Aaron.

1:08.7

Hello, Aaron.

1:09.8

Folks, tonight, we have a special guest, you know, part of our, what do you call that, Aaron, our tagline, or moniker.

1:18.3

Our moniker, or it's from the mouths of the men who did it. And sometimes we've got policemen,

1:23.2

and sometimes we've got guys from the other side. Well, we've got a real-deal guy from the other side.

1:28.2

It's our good friend, Frank Kulata.

1:31.1

If you watch my Facebook page, Gangland Wire, you'll see that every once in a while I'll repost something

1:36.8

where Frank has taken somebody on a Las Vegas mob tour.

1:40.1

He runs Las Vegas tours at Mo's locations in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1:45.7

So if you're ever out there, you might get hold of me or when you get out there,

...

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