Last of the Spilotro Brothers, Mob Lieutenant John, Dies in Las Vegas at 83

John Spilotro, the brother of infamous kingpin Tony “the Ant” Spilotro, who managed the Chicago Outfit’s operations in Las Vegas during the 1970s and early 1980s, has passed away at the age of 83, according to The Gangster Report. Both he and his brother were part of the notorious Chicago Outfit gang.

John Spilotro Dies in Las Vegas

The last surviving, and quietest, of the group of criminal siblings, John maintained a lower profile but wasn’t entirely law-abiding, according to federal court records. The Gangster Report described him as a “top lieutenant” to Tony Spilotro in Las Vegas. Despite that, he managed to avoid the violent deaths that claimed his brothers Tony and Michael in the 1980s and lived to a ripe old age in his home in Las Vegas.

John Spilotro was one of six brothers born into a large Italian American family on Chicago’s West Side. Of the six, only one, Pasquale “Pat” Spilotro, steered clear of criminal life, choosing instead a legitimate career as a dentist. The Spilotro brothers were raised around organized crime, growing up in their parents’ West Side restaurant, “Patsy’s,” a well-known hangout for high-ranking mob figures. Regular patrons included Chicago Outfit boss Sam Giancana, his successor Jackie “The Lackey” Cerone, mob fixer Gus Alex, and Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti, a former bodyguard to Al Capone.

How Did John Spilotro Get into the Life of Crime?

John and another one of his brothers, Michael, followed their brother, Tony, to Las Vegas after the Chicago Outfit sent them there, and became part of his close-knit inner circle. While Tony’s primary role involved skimming money from casinos for his superiors in Chicago, he also branched out into other criminal ventures. Arguably, the most infamous one was the “Hole in the Wall Gang,” a burglary ring that included both of his brothers.

The gang earned its nickname from its distinctive break-in tactic: punching or drilling holes through walls and ceilings to avoid alarms and bypass security systems. Their base of operations was the Gold Rush Ltd. jewelry store in the Meadows Mall, which doubled as both a front and a laundering outlet. Co-managed by John, the store handled the resale of stolen goods (mainly high-end jewelry), serving as a hub for fencing the gang’s loot.

John’s most serious legal entanglement came in the mid-1980s, when he was indicted in a federal racketeering case linked to the Outfit’s activities in Las Vegas. However, a US appeals court later ruled that the FBI’s search warrants were too broad, resulting in the exclusion of crucial evidence.

John was ultimately acquitted. Just a few months later, in June 1986, Tony and Michael were murdered. The reasoning was reportedly because they attracted too much law enforcement attention to the Outfit’s operations.